Entropically Toughened Robust Biodegradable Polymer Blends and Composites for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Biodegradable polymers and composites are promising candidates for biomedical implants in tissue engineering. However, state-of-the-art composite scaffolds suffer from a strength-toughness dilemma due to poor interfacial adhesion and filler dispersion. In this work, we propose a facile and scalable strategy to fabricate strong and tough biocomposite scaffolds through interfacial toughening.

General Entropy Approach Toward Ultratough Sustainable Plastics.

Entropy is a universal concept across the physics of mixtures. While the role of entropy in other multicomponent materials has been appreciated, its effects in polymers and plastics have not. In this work, it is demonstrated that the seemingly small mixing entropy contributes to the miscibility and performance of polymer alloys.