Determination of Shear Bond Strength between PEEK Composites and Veneering Composites for the Production of Dental Restorations.

We studied the shear bond strength (SBS) of two PEEK composites (BioHPP, BioHPP plus) with three veneering composites: Visio.lign, SR Nexco and VITA VM LC, depending on the surface treatment: untreated, sandblasted with 110 μm AlO, sandblasted and cleaned ultrasonically in 80% ethanol, with or without adhesive Visio.link, with applied Visio.

Macroporous ZnO foams by high internal phase emulsion technique: synthesis and catalytic activity.

Zinc(II) oxide nanoparticles were used for the stabilization of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD)-water-based high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), which were subsequently cured using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The morphology of the resulting ZnO-pDCPD nanocomposite foams was investigated in correlation to the nanoparticle loading and nanoparticle surface chemistry. While hydrophilic ZnO nanoparticles were found to be unsuitable for stabilizing the HIPE, oleic acid coated, yet hydrophobic ZnO nanoparticles were effective HIPE stabilizers, yielding polymer foams with ZnO nanoparticles located predominately at their surface.

PMMA-b-PMAA diblock copolymer as a reactive polymeric surfactant for the functionalization of ZnO nanoparticles.

We investigated the efficiency of poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(methacrylic acid) (PMMA-b-PMAA) diblock copolymers as reactive polymeric surfactants for the functionalization of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) of diameters ranging from 20 to 80 nm. PMMA-b-PMAA with molar masses in the range of 20.000 and 30.

Determination of the interactions between Zn2+ and water soluble polymer ligands with potential use in controlled drug delivery.

Biodegradable copolymers of aspartic and lactic acids were synthesized for potential use in controlled drug release. The proportion of aspartic acid moieties in the copolymers was 0.9 and 0.

Separation of poly(styrene-block-t-butyl methacrylate) copolymers by various liquid chromatography techniques.

The separation of a mixture of three poly(styrene-block-t-butyl methacrylate) copolymers (PS-b-PtBMA), consisting of polystyrene (PS) blocks of similar length and t-butyl methacrylate (PtBMA) blocks of different lengths, was performed using various chromatographic techniques, that is, a gradient liquid chromatography on reversed-phase (C18 and C8) and normal-phase columns, a liquid chromatography under critical conditions for polystyrene as well as a fully automated two-dimensional liquid chromatography that separates block copolymers by chemical composition in the first dimension and by molar mass in the second dimension. The results show that a partial separation of the mixture of PS-b-PtBMA copolymers can be achieved only by gradient liquid chromatography on reversed-phase columns. The coelution of the two block copolymers is ascribed to a much shorter PtBMA block length, compared to the PS block, as well as a small difference in the length of the PtBMA block in two of these copolymers, which was confirmed by SEC-MALS and NMR spectroscopy.

Poly(zinc dimethacrylate) as a precursor in the low-temperature formation of ZnO nanoparticles.

We present a simple, low-temperature synthesis of pure ZnO nanoparticles and polymer-ZnO hybrid materials formed by the NaOH-mediated conversion of poly(zinc dimethacrylate) in 1-butanol. The polymer poly(zinc dimethacrylate) was used as a precursor to prepare neat ZnO particles. It has a double role in the ZnO formation process, acting as a template and simultaneously controlling the crystal growth.

Micropatterning of light-sensitive liquid-crystal elastomers.

We demonstrate that photoisomerizable liquid-crystal elastomer soft films can be used as tunable holographic gratings. Optomechanical mechanism of imprinting one-dimensional grating structure into the soft matrix by two-beam uv laser interference can be clearly resolved from the time dependence of the reading beam diffraction patterns. We analyze the observed response in terms of cis-trans isomerization-controlled modulation of the grating profile.

The synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc acetylacetonate hydrate and 1-butanol or isobutanol.

ZnO nanoparticles of different sizes, from 20 to 200 nm in length, and morphologies, nanorods and coral-like structures, were synthesized via a simple one-pot synthesis by refluxing an oversaturated solution of zinc acetylacetonate hydrate in 1-butanol and isobutanol. On the basis of (1)H and (13)C NMR experiments, the reactions in both alcohols were found to proceed via the alcoholytic C-C cleavage of the acetylacetonate ligand, followed by the hydrolytic formation of the reactive Zn-OH intermediate from the water molecules present in the precursor hydrate species and/or those released during the condensation cycle. The zinc acetylacetonate conversion into ZnO in isobutanol is significantly slower than in the case when 1-butanol was used as both the medium and the reagent.

Elution behavior of poly(lactide-co-succinimide) copolymers studied by SEC-MALS.

We synthesized poly(lactide-co-succinimide) (PLS) copolymers with the ratio of lactide to succinimide units of 3:1 and 6.5:1 and studied their elution behavior by size exclusion chromatography with an on-line light-scattering detection. Since the copolymers contain a certain amount of carboxyl groups, they behave as ionomers in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and show a typical polyelectrolyte (PE) effect.

Morphology and particle size of di(ethylene glycol) mediated metallic copper nanoparticles.

Cu nanoparticles were prepared in di(ethylene glycol) by a reduction reaction of Cu (II) acetate precursor to metallic Cu. The size and morphology of the synthesized particles were studied in dependence of the concentration of the starting compound and the temperature conditions of reaction were varied to determine the correlation with the size and morphology of the synthesized particles. The morphology and size of the resulting copper (I) oxide as an intermediate product and metallic Cu particles as a final product are strongly dependent on the concentration of the starting compound, thus indicating differences in the mechanism of the reduction reaction and, consequently, the mechanism of particle formation.

Molar mass distribution of a commercial aliphatic hyperbranched polyester based on 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid.

The determination of absolute molar mass averages (MMA) and molar mass distribution (MMD) of the fourth generation hyperbranched polyester Boltorn H40 (Perstorp Specialty Chemicals AB), synthesized from 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA) as the AB2 monomer and ethoxylated pentaerythritol as the B4 core molecule was studied in dependence on the type of solvent, preparation procedure and solution concentration. Due to a large number of polar hydroxyl groups, ester, and also some residual carboxyl groups, a very stable H-bond network is formed at room temperature, that can-not be completely disrupted by dissolving the sample in solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), a mixture of THF and methanol (9:1, v/v), and a solution of 0.7% LiBr in DMAc.