The fracture behavior of glassy polymers is strongly coupled to molecular parameters such as entanglement density as well as extrinsic parameters such as strain rate and test temperature. Here we use laser-induced projectile impact testing (LIPIT) to study the extreme strain rate (≈10 s) puncture behavior of free-standing polycarbonate (PC) thin films. We demonstrate that changes to the PC molecular mass and the degree of plasticization can lead to substantial changes in the specific puncture energy. We relate these changes to the alteration of the entanglement density of the polymer that determines the underlying failure mechanism as well as the size of the deformation zone.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.9b00264 | DOI Listing |
Mar Pollut Bull
January 2025
IGNOU Regional Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala 695 008, India.
An increasing amount of plastic litter and derelict fishing gear in the global oceans poses significant threats to corals and reef-associated marine biota. In this context, an underwater marine litter survey was conducted along the fringing coral reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands- a remote archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, Northern Indian Ocean. The result revealed entanglement and smothering of coral colonies by plastic and derelict fishing gear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), Beijing 100190, China.
The mechanical effects on carbon-based metal-free catalysts (C-MFCs) have rarely been explored, despite the global interest in C-MFCs as substitutes for noble metal catalysts. Stress is ubiquitous, whereas its dedicated study is severely restricted due to its frequent entanglement with other structural variables, such as dopants, defects, and interfaces in catalysis. Herein, we report a proof-of-concept study by establishing a platform to continuously apply strain to a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) lamina, simultaneously collecting electrochemical signals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Conte Center for Polymer Research, Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States.
Bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCPs) are a unique class of materials that contain a backbone with densely grafted and chemically distinct polymeric side chains. The nonlinear architecture of BBCPs provides numerous degrees of freedom in their preparation, including control over key parameters such as grafting density, side chain length, block arrangement, and overall molecular weight. This uniquely branched structure provides BBCPs with several important distinctions from their linear counterparts, including sterically induced side chain and backbone conformations, rapid and large self-assembled nanostructures, and reduced or eliminated entanglement effects (assuming sufficient grafting density and that the molecular weight of the side chains is below their respective entanglement molecular weight).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomacromolecules
January 2025
Cellulose Research Unit, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HpC) forms a liquid crystalline phase and is thought to have a rod-like shape in aqueous solution. The viscoelastic behaviors of aqueous solutions of HpC samples with average molar substitution numbers ( ∼ 3.8) and weight-average molar masses ( = 36-740 kg mol) were examined over a wide concentration () range, and the results were discussed based on a concept of rod particle suspension rheology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacromol Rapid Commun
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore, 117575, Singapore.
The modification of thermoplastic polymers is frequently impeded by the inherent contradiction between their toughness and strength. In this study, an effective strategy to significantly improve the mechanical properties of ductile polymers by simply adding a complimentary rigid polymer is introduced. This work uses a semi-crystalline polymer aliphatic polyketone (POK) as the matrix material and a small quantity of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as the rigid polymer, through establishing molecular chain entanglements at the interface to produce POK/PMMA blends with exceptional mechanical property.
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