Morphology and properties of foamed high crystallinity PEEK prepared by high temperature thermally induced phase separation.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a high-performance semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer with outstanding mechanical properties, high thermal stability, resistance to most common solvents, and good biocompatibility. A high temperature thermally induced phase separation technique was used to produce PEEK foams with controlled foam density from PEEK in 4-phenylphenol (4PPH) solutions. Physical and mechanical properties, foam and bulk density, surface area, and pore morphology of foamed PEEK were characterized and the role of PEEK concentration and cooling rate was investigated.

Assessing Fire-Damage in Historical Papers and Alleviating Damage with Soft Cellulose Nanofibers.

The conservation of historical paper objects with high cultural value is an important societal task. Papers that have been severely damaged by fire, heat, and extinguishing water, are a particularly challenging case, because of the complexity and severity of damage patterns. In-depth analysis of fire-damaged papers, by means of examples from the catastrophic fire in a 17th-century German library, shows the changes, which proceeded from the margin to the center, to go beyond surface charring and formation of hydrophobic carbon-rich layers.

Additive Manufactured Carbon Nanotube/Epoxy Nanocomposites for Heavy-Duty Applications.

A solid epoxy resin formulation containing 2.5 wt % carbon nanotubes is 3D printed into self-standing parts, which after thermal curing result in CNTs/epoxy nanocomposites with mechanical properties attractive for heavy-duty applications.

High-Performance Polymer Foams by Thermally Induced Phase Separation.

Macroporous, low-density polyetheretherketone, polyetherketoneketone, and polyetherimide foams are produced using a high-temperature, thermally induced phase separation method. A high-boiling-point solvent, which is suitable to dissolve at least 20 wt% of these high-performance polymers at temperatures above 250 °C, is identified. The foam morphology is controlled by the cooling procedure.

Fast Approach to the Hydrophobization of Bacterial Cellulose via the Direct Polymerization of Ethyl 2-Cyanoacrylate.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has a broad range of applications in biomedical fields and cosmetics. Applied as wound dressing, BC tends to stick to the sore especially upon drying, and hydrophobization improves its performance in this regard. This article reports a facile and rapid yet a highly efficient approach for BC hydrophobization through direct polymerization of ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate on the BC fibers.