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Polymer dielectrics have gained significant usage in electrical engineering due to their unique merits, such as good flexibility, easy processing, and low cost. However, it is a huge challenge that polymer dielectrics maintain high breakdown strength meanwhile high permittivity for enhanced energy density. Here, sandwiched polymer films are constructed for enhanced energy density. Increased permittivity has been achieved via blending BaTiO3@polyfluorosiloxane with a polymer as the top and bottom layer. Furthermore, the neat polymer as the middle layer is without critically sacrificing breakdown strength. The energy storage density increases from 7.8 J/cm3 of the neat polymer to 10.41 J/cm3 of the sandwich structure at 460 MV/m. This research offers a feasible route for fabricating capacitive films with enhanced energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water absorption characteristics of thermoplastic starch (TPS) reveal its ability to interact with and absorb water, influencing its overall performance in various applications. The introduction of aloe vera (AV) gel into the TPS polymeric matrix film has proven beneficial in enhancing tensile strength but a notable deficiency is observed in lowering water absorption percentage. Therefore, this paper aims to reduce the water absorption of the TPS30AV polymer matrix film by utilizing polyethylene (PE) without reducing the tensile strength performance of the TPS30AV film. The TPS30AV film was produced using melt-blending and hot-press techniques. Six samples were presented consisting of a control film (TPS30AV) and TPS30AV film with different concentrations of PE resins (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%). The film's performance was assessed by examining its mechanical properties, water absorption, and water solubility. The finding shows that TPS30AV with 40% PE has the highest improvement in water absorption percentage which reduces from 309.86% to 34.16% but a tremendous decrement in tensile strength performance. However, TPS30AV with 10% PE has the highest tensile strength, 9.65 MPa with a 20.99% improvement in water absorption reduction. The properties obtained for TPS30AV10PE were also good in Young's modulus and water solubility percentage. It shows that the film formulated is comparable with previous studies, and improvement has been achieved. As a conclusion, adding PE improved the polymeric structure of TPS30AV and can be used as a biodegradable food-packaging film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic polymers (ECPs) have great application potential in flexible displays, and there is an increasing expectation of using green methods to form ECP films. Herein, we propose a modified microemulsion method to prepare cyan/magenta/yellow (C/M/Y) water-dispersed electrochromic polymer nanoparticles (WDEN) systems. Three polymer films (WDECP-C/M/Y) maintain similar electrochemical properties compared to their corresponding organic solvent-based polymer films. It is intriguing that WDECP-C/M/Y exhibit better electrochromic properties in terms of higher cycling stability (97.24%, 95.05%, and 52.84%, respectively) and faster switching time (0.94 s, 1.09 s, and 1.34 s for coloring time, respectively) due to the introduction of nanoparticles. In addition, it can achieve various desired colors by blending the C/M/Y WDEN systems in different ratios. The calculated chromaticity coordinates of the blending polymer films show close values to the experimental observation, and the calculated Δ E * ab values range from 2.6 to 10.3, which may provide theoretical guidance for precisely color control. Finally, large-scale and patterned devices were assembled, which can achieve colored-to-colorless reversible electrochromism at a low driving voltage of 0–1.5 V. This work puts forward a universal and environmentally sustainable strategy to prepare WDEN systems, demonstrating their wide range of applications in display devices and electronic tags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For advancing next‐generation optoelectronics, a versatile strategy for fabricating π‐conjugated polymer (π‐CP)/chiral‐small molecule (SM) hybrid films through co‐crystallization‐mediated chirality transfer is reported. The transfer of optical chirality from 1,1′‐binaphthyl–2,2′‐diamine (BN), a representative chiral inducer SM, to thin films of various achiral π‐CPs, including non‐fluorene π‐CPs, is achieved by simply blending the π‐CPs with BN using aromatic organic solvents. The resulting π‐CP/chiral‐SM hybrid films exhibit chiroptical responses at the main electronic absorption bands of various π‐CPs. Studies of the morphology, crystalline structure, and phase‐separation structure of a representative hybrid system of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and BN reveal that these hybrid films exhibit a characteristic lamellar structure where the π‐CPs co‐crystallize with chiral BN molecules, facilitated by aromatic solvent‐assisted intermolecular π–π interactions. In‐depth photophysical analysis suggests that BN molecules co‐crystallized in the P3HT lamellar structure induce asymmetrically misaligned transition dipoles along the P3HT conjugated backbone, transferring optical chirality from BN to P3HT under circularly polarized light illumination. As a proof‐of‐concept, chiroptical photodiodes based on π‐CP/chiral‐SM hybrid films and printed micropatterns, exhibiting a distinguishable photocurrent response depending on the direction of circularly polarized light are successfully demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study used ultra-sonication approach to manufacture ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 (ZNF) and casting technique to prepare ZnO/NiFe 2 O 4 –Cs/PVP nanocomposite films. The successful creation of these nanocomposites with a significant decrease in the % crystallinity of the polymer blend with doping agent was verified by XRD results. ZNF and the Cs/PVP chains interacted in the polymer nanocomposites, as seen by the spectra of the FTIR. To determine the direct and indirect optical band gaps, tauc graphs were studied using data from UV–Vis analysis. The results indicate that while the Urbach energy was found to increase, the optical band gaps decreased as the weight percentage of the nanofiller increased. Using a thermogravimetric approach, the thermal stability of the produced PNCs has been investigated. Conductivity experiments demonstrated that when the nanofiller ZNF content increased to 2.5 wt%, so did AC conductivity, the dielectric loss, and the dielectric constant. The correlation between the mechanism of conduction and the amount of nanoparticles indicates that an increase in the percentage of ZNF in nanocomposites could increase their conductivity, with values ranging from 3.72 × 10−12 for pure blend to 7.72 × 10−8 S/cm for 2.5%ZNF-Cs/PVP at 100 Hz. The dielectric measurements for the nanocomposite films showed an increase in dielectric losses and dielectric constant, which is indicative of the films' enhanced dielectric polarization. The results of characterization point to possible uses of these polymer nanocomposites in flexible optoelectronic and magneto-electronic applications and energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progress of stretchable and wearable photovoltaics relies heavily on intrinsically stretchable active layer films. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research clarifying the connections between their microstructure, performance, and their adaptation to large strain in polymer electronic films. The current study utilizes multiple synchrotron X‐ray scattering methods to collectively examine the correlations between morphology and stretchability, as well as the microstructural evolution induced by stretching in three sample cases of highly stretchable ternary blend films. These blends contain over 30% by weight of a polymer elastomer, such as styrene‐ethylene‐butylene‐styrene block copolymer, integrated into the high‐performance polymer:nonfullerene small molecule mixture. Specifically, the real‐time microstructural changes of these durable organic photovoltaic films with elastomers are monitored when subjected to tensile stretching through in situ synchrotron X‐ray scattering. The experiments demonstrate that polymeric elastomers can effectively lower the degree of crystallinity in films and deform the crystallites of semiconductor molecules. The elastomeric component aids in stress dispersion during stretching, thereby improving the microstructural durability of blend films. This study provides new recommendations for advancing stretchable organic optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blend matrix composed of polyvinyl alcohol and carboxymethylcellulose (PVA/CMC) was prepared via the casting method. SiO2 nanoparticles were added as reinforcement in different amounts (SiO2 = 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt.%). The study utilized FTIR to examine the alterations in composition and the interplay between the blend matrix and the inclusion of SiO2. Also, for the first time, the surface roughness and surface wettability of the PVA/CMC blend matrix were investigated with the addition of SiO2 using measurements of contact angle and surface roughness parameters. The surface roughness and wettability of the blend matrix increased as the SiO2 content increased. In addition, the blend matrix optical features were determined by the UV–visible spectrophotometer. Based on the analysis using Tauc's relation, it was found that the energy bandgap decreases from 5.52 to 5.17 eV (direct transition) and from 4.79 to 4.32 eV (indirect transition) for the PVA/CMC and PVA/CMC/4%SiO2 blend films, respectively. The refractive index increases from 2.009 to about 2.144 for the PVA/CMC and PVA/CMC/4%SiO2 blend films, respectively. Furthermore, optical conductivity and dielectric constants were improved for the PVA/CMC blend film after the addition of SiO2 nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer blends can improve material processability and can be used to extrude partially degraded materials, such as expired poly (butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT), which cannot be normally extruded. Therefore, in this study, the extrudability of PBAT that has passed its expiration date was restored by blending it with poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). Various polymer blends were extruded and characterized to achieve high‐efficiency extrusion. The carbonyl indices in partially degraded PBAT and the corresponding control sample detailed the effects of 98 months of aging on molecular properties. The semicrystalline structure consisted of a mixed ordered arrangement of PBS and PBAT chains dispersed in an amorphous matrix. The microscopic images of the surfaces of the polymer films revealed defects and roughness, followed by an increase in the PBAT concentration in blends. Changes in mechanical properties and water vapor permeability correlated with the PBAT concentration in the blends. To avoid polymer loss, we reported a simple method for using PBAT that has passed its expiration date and cannot be extruded. The results revealed that the polymer films could be used in the packaging industry, especially in food and agricultural sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl) (PFO), referred to as light-emitting polymer, was utilized in this study to synthesize thin films for polymer light-emitting applications (PLED). Three thin films named P1, P2 and P3 refer to three different ways of film fabrication. P1 consists of only PFO, P2 consists of brilliant blue FCF blend PFO, while P3 consists of PFO on polyaniline conductive layer; all these thin films were deposited onto ITO-coated glass substrates (20 Ω) using Doctor blade method. Toluene had been used as the solvent of PFO material. P1 exhibits the smoothest surface (6.43 nm), which is consistent with the FESEM result. The surface roughness increases dramatically in the case of P2 (63.00 nm) with the presence of valleys and high peak protuberance. The surface roughness continues to significantly increase (152.00 nm) with deeper valleys for P3. PL intensity of the thin films was found to be dependent on the structural properties, chemical composition and optical features of these films. Film absorption was shown to increase with surface roughness, resulting in increased PL intensity and replacement of chemical bonds. P3 exhibited the highest PL intensity at 439.7 nm, which is attributable to the relatively lower amount of oxygen in the film structure, increasing both surface roughness and absorption of the film, in addition to the substitution of chemical bonds. P2 displayed higher PL intensity than that of P1 as well. Thus, PFO blend and using a polyaniline conductive layer in the PFO film structure enhance the PL intensity, thereby improving the applicability of PFO films-based polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve superior device performance such as low threshold voltage Vth, high maximum on‐current Ion,max, and long retention time in electrolyte‐gated organic synaptic transistors, efficient electrochemical doping and high state retention are essential. However, these characteristics generally show a trade‐off relationship. This work introduces an effective strategy to increase retention time while promoting efficient electrochemical doping. The approach involves blending two polymer semiconductors (PSCs) that have the same backbone but different types of side chains. Polymer synaptic transistors (PSTs) with the blend film showed the lowest Vth, highest Ion,max, longest retention time, and superior cyclic stability compared to PSTs that used films containing only one of the PSCs. The improvement in electrical and synaptic properties achieved through the blend strategy is consistently reproducible and comprehensive. It is attributed this improvement to the increased redox activity and constrained morphological changes observed in the blended PSCs during electrochemical doping, as confirmed by several electrochemical characterizations. This work is the first to increase retention time in PSTs without increasing the crystallinity of polymer film or sacrificing the electrochemical doping efficiency, which has been regarded as an unavoidable compromise in this field. This method provides an effective way to tune synaptic properties for various neuromorphic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical blending of high‐mobility conjugated polymers with ductile elastomers provides a simple way to realize high‐performance stretchable films. However, how to control the morphology of the conjugated polymer and elastomer blend film and its response to mechanical fracture processes during stretching are not well understood. Herein, a sandwich structure is constructed in the blend film based on a conjugated polymer poly[(5‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole‐4,7‐diyl)(4,4‐dihexadecyl‐4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b:3,4‐b″]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl)(6‐fluoro‐2,1,3‐benzothiadiazole‐4,7‐diyl)(4,4‐dihexadecyl‐4H‐cyclopenta[2,1‐b:3,4‐b″]dithiophene‐2,6‐diyl)] (PCDTFBT) and an elastomer polystyrene‐block‐poly(ethylene‐ran‐butylene)‐block‐polystyrene (SEBS). The sandwich structure is composed of a PCDTFBT:SEBS mixed layer laminated with a PCDTFBT‐rich layer at both the top and bottom surfaces. During stretching, the external strain energy can be effectively dissipated by the deformation of the crystalline PCDTFBT domains and amorphous SEBS phases and the recrystallization of the PCDTFBT chains. This endows the blend film with excellent ductility, with a large crack onset strain exceeding 1100%, and minimized the electrical degradation of the blend film at a large strain. This study indicates that the electrical and mechanical performance of conjugated polymer/elastomer blend films can be improved by manipulating their microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, structural transformations induced by an electric field in the chiral nematic under tangential-conical boundary conditions have been considered. The composition influence of the orienting polymer films on the director tilt angles, the formation of orientational structures in the LC layer, as well as the electro-optical response and relaxation processes have been studied. It has been shown that the poly(tert-butyl methacrylate) concentration change in the orienting polymer mixture allows for smoothly controlling the director tilt angle without fixing its azimuthal orientation rigidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the use of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as a transducing material in the fabrication of mechanical-to-electrical conversion devices based on the flexoelectric-like response of this polymer. Devices are made in a cantilever-based three-layer stainless-steel/PEDOT:PSS/top metal electrode configuration to assess the effective transverse flexoelectric coefficient μ 12 ′ . We investigated the influence of the nature of the top electrode in the flexoelectric response comparing samples with gold and aluminum top electrodes and demonstrated the huge impact of adding a small fraction of a second dopant such as xylitol to the PEDOT:PSS polymer blend and the benefits of a post-treatment of the polymer film with ethanol and methanol on the flexoelectric coefficient. The combination of xylitol addition and the rinsing of the polymer films with ethanol and methanol, along with the use of gold as a top electrode, led to a significant improvement of μ 12 ′ to ca. 24 μC m−1, which is in the range of those reported for high permittivity oxide materials. These findings support the use of conjugated polymers as an alternative to inorganic materials in flexoelectric-based applications, where large flexibility is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanohybrid comprising two-dimensional (2D) materials have surfaced as potential building blocks for manipulating carrier confinement and transportation in electronic devices. The embedded defects in the nanohybrid, more precisely in the semiconductor counterparts, create localized electronic states that primarily impact the carrier transport properties. Herein, nanohybrid of reduced graphene oxide-tin disulfide (rGO-SnS2) with numerous vacancy-induced defect states were synthesized and reinforced with poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and PMMA-PVDF (20:80) blend to investigate the memristive characteristics in a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) configuration. XRD analysis demonstrates a comparatively larger crystallite size of SnS2 in rGO-SnS2 nanohybrid (27.31 nm) than in pristine material (15.85 nm), indicating improved nucleation and template-supported growth of SnS2. The nanohybrid encapsulated polymer films promote improved charge transfer through the fillers-encased polymer matrices. The polymer blend featuring rGO-SnS2 displays ferroelectric β-crystal phases with rich sulfur vacancies in the semiconductor counterparts, verified using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) analysis. Devices composed of rGO-SnS2 nanohybrid without polymer do not exhibit any memory characteristics. On the contrary, the devices show distinct memory features, such as write-once-read-many (WORM) and bipolar (with ION/IOFF ratio ~ 10–104) behavior, when nanohybrid is reinforced with PMMA and PVDF/or polymer blend. The internal electric field (Ein) in ferroelectric PVDF assists in de-trapping charge carriers from the sulfur vacancies, exhibiting a non-volatile bipolar memory neither observed for PMMA-based devices. Higher surface roughness leads to uneven current distribution and non-uniform switching for nanohybrid-embedded polymer films. A theoretical model is proposed to elucidate the carrier transport mechanism, adhering to Ohm's law, and space charge limited current (SCLC) in the low resistance state (LRS) and high resistance state (HRS), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the progressive development of photomultiplication‐type organic photodetectors (PM‐OPDs), increasing research efforts are devoted to all‐polymer PM‐OPDs due to their potential in terms of device stability and stretchability. However, poor polymer‐polymer miscibility and entanglement of long polymer chains are still the main challenges to form desirable active layer morphology in such systems. A smooth solidification process is favorable toward realizing a morphology that features ordered molecular orientation and high crystallinity. Herein, morphological control issue in all‐polymer PM‐OPDs is addressed by modifying film formation kinetics with an insulating polymer blending strategy. The prolonged crystallization process of polystyrene‐blended films can form high‐ordered molecular arrangements and crystallinity in donor/acceptor phases, leading to improved charge transport properties and suppressed trap states. With boosting the trap‐assisted photomultiplication effect, the polystyrene‐blended all‐polymer PM‐OPD with a high specific detectivity of 4.0 × 1013 Jones can be achieved due to the accumulation of enhanced photogenerated electrons at the interface and the efficient injection of external holes, which is one of the best detectivity values reported for PM‐OPDs. This study not only reveals valuable insights into the effects of insulating polymers on the film formation kinetics mechanism, but also provides novel strategy to fabricate high‐performance all‐polymer PM‐OPDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodegradable polymer films composed of Iota-Carrageenan and Copper Sulphate Pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H2O) were prepared by using the Solution Casting process. To investigate the optical property, different wt.% of CuSO4.5H2O were added to I-carrageenan polymer films. X-Ray diffraction analysis was used to study the structural properties of prepared electrolytes. FTIR study revealed the complexation between the polymer and the salt. The increase in the amorphous nature of the film by the addition of the salt was confirmed using an X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) pattern. The functional group and interaction between the different components present in the polymer film are observed from Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis, implying that the addition of (CuSO4.5H2O) salt causes microstructural differences in the polymer film. The UV-Visible Spectrometer was used to record the optical properties like the absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, and optical bandgap energy of the polymer blend electrolytes. From this, it was observed that the absorption value was increased with the addition of salt. The optical band gap was also recorded and it was observed that 20 wt.% of CuSO4.5H2O added film was found to have a higher energy gap (4.3 eV) compared with the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two combined ellipsometric techniques—variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) and variable temperature spectroscopic ellipsometry (VTSE)—were used as tools to study the surface order and dielectric properties of thin films of a poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) mixture with a fullerene derivative (6,6-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester) (PC70BM). Under the influence of annealing, a layer of the ordered PC70BM phase was formed on the surface of the blend films. The dielectric function of the ordered PC70BM was determined for the first time and used in the ellipsometric modeling of the physical properties of the P3HT:PC70BM blend films, such as their dielectric function and thickness. The applied ellipsometric optical model of the polymer–fullerene blend treats the components of the blend as a mixture of optically ordered and disordered phases, using the effective medium approximation for this purpose. The results obtained using the constructed model showed that a layer of the ordered PC70BM phase was formed on the surface of the layer of the polymer and fullerene mixture. Namely, as a result of thermal annealing, the thickness of the layer of the ordered fullerene phase increased, while the thickness of the underlying material layer decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell with a spiro OMeTAD as a hole transport layer (HTL) and a PDINO as an electron transport layer (ETL) was simulated through the one-dimensional solar capacitance simulator (SCAPS-1D) software to examine the performance of this type of organic polymer thin-film solar cell. As an active layer, a blend of polymer donor PBDB-T and non-fullerene acceptor ITIC-OE was used. Numerical simulation was performed by varying the thickness of the HTL and the active layer. Firstly, the HTL layer thickness was optimized to 50 nm; after that, the active-layer thickness was varied up to 80 nm. The results of these simulations demonstrated that the HTL thickness has rather little impact on efficiency while the active-layer thickness improves efficiency significantly. The temperature effect on the performance of the solar cells was considered by simulations performed for temperatures from 300 to 400 K; the efficiency of the solar cell decreased with increasing temperature. Generally, polymer films are usually full of traps and defects; the density of the defect (Nt) value was also introduced to the simulation, and it was confirmed that with the increase in defect density (Nt), the efficiency of the solar cell decreases. After thickness, temperature and defect density optimization, a reflective coating was also applied to the cell. It turned out that by introducing the reflective coating to the back side of the solar cell, the efficiency increased by 2.5%. Additionally, the positive effects of HTL and ETL doping on the efficiency of this type of solar cells were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, inspired by the human‐giving goosebumps process, we demonstrated a rapid, versatile, and simple method to prepare anti‐UV microstructures polymer blend films with good morphology based on phase separation. Through the results of characterizations, it is proved that the microstructures are formed by polymer phase separation. Then the formation possibility of microstructures is proved by thermodynamic analysis. Moreover, the phase‐field model is used to simulate the formation of microstructures by the finite element method, which can illustrate the evolution process of the microstructures. Besides, the microstructures were prepared on different substrates through the simple phase separation method, which can verify the versatility of this method. In addition, the anti‐UV performance of the micro‐structure films was evaluated. This work proposed a simple and versatile route to prepare microstructures coating in different substrates, which exhibit well anti‐UV performance, and this work has the application potential for preventing material aging caused by UV radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facile and efficient synthesis of conjugated donor-acceptor polymers via direct C-H arylation polymerization has received significant interest in organic electronic applications. We report here a one-pot synthesis of a series of bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzothiadiazole-based donor-acceptor polymers P1-4 via direct C-H arylation polymerization in excellent yield. Two donor moieties [3-hexylthiophene and 1,4-bis(dodecyloxy)benzene], and one acceptor unit 4,7-bis(thiophen-2-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole were used for direct C-H arylation polymerization. The prowess of the methodology was applied to synthesis of polymer by adding one donor unit followed by a second donor unit after the due course. The resulting polymers are soluble and characterized. Optical and electrochemical properties were carried out by UV-Vis-NIR and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. A temperature-dependent absorption of the polymer films blended with PC71BM was studied for photovoltaic application. Devices were fabricated by solution-processable deposition of active layer and a PCE of 3.82% was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, polymer blend nanocomposites based on carbon fillers were produced via melt‐compounding in a twin‐screw extruder. A combination of several matrices (LLDPE, EMA, and LLDPE/EMA) and fillers (FLG, FWCNT, and FLG/FWCNT) was used. Thermal enhancement as the consequence of few‐walled carbon nanotube addition, led to significant improvements in the initial degradation temperatures of LLDPE (383.2 > 441.2°C), EMA (371.2 > 417.3°C), and LLDPE/EMA (390.55 > 430.62°C) matrixes, respectively. The evaluation of the dynamic‐mechanical behavior of the compositions showed an increase of 80% in the storage module for LLDPE‐based nanocomposites, a reduction of 30% for blend‐based nanocomposites, and a non‐change for EMA nanocomposites. Tenacity property was considerably improved, achieving a value 78% higher to the LLDPE/EMA blend, mainly due to the possible migration of the nanoparticles from EMA phase to the LLDPE phase, creating a more efficient physical network with well‐developed percolating structure, which facilitates the dissipation of energy during mechanical loading. In summary, it can be observed that the morphology control as well as the nanofillers location, proved to be extremely relevant factors to produce a polymer film with enormous gains in the thermal and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pure polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), pure CarboxyMethyl Cellulose (CMC), and CMC/PVA blend films with different amounts (0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 and 0.4 g) of both polymers were prepared by simple solution casting method in this study. FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopies were used to characterize the physical properties of as-prepared samples. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that the original bonds for both PVA and CMC polymers were appearing in blend polymer, but some bonds referring to CMC polymer seemed in high amounts of this polymer. Optical characteristics showed that the absorbance and absorption coefficient of PVA polymer is improved with increased amounts of CMC polymer. The direct relationship between absorbance and absorption coefficient with amounts of CMC polymer will be established. Furthermore, the energy gap of pure CMC (5.24 eV) and pure PVA (4.74 eV) polymers films were estimated. Tuning Eg toward lower value due to change CMC polymer concentration of blend polymer (PVA/CMC) film was achieved. From the findings of optical properties, it concludes that the blend film has the highest absorbance and absorption coefficient and lowest transmittance in the UV region compared to pure PVA and CMC polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever increasing demand for high‐speed communication at high frequency promotes the rapid development of low‐dielectric polymer films. Aromatic polyimide (PI) has been widely used as the main dielectrics in the flexible circuit board due to its excellent dielectric, mechanical, and thermal properties. Nevertheless, the dielectric constant of PI films at a high frequency range (several GHz) is relatively high and cannot satisfy the requirement of high‐frequency communication. On this basis, a hyper‐crosslinked polymer (HCP) and fabricated all‐organic HCP/PI composite films through a physical blending method is synthesized. The porous structure of HCP is helpful to reduce the dielectric constant of PI matrix. The effects of HCP loadings on the dielectric, mechanical, and thermal properties of HCP/PI composite films are systematically investigated. The dielectric constants of the composite films can be reduced to 1.6–1.8 in the frequency range of 8.2–9.6 GHz when the HCP content reached 10 wt.%. The proposed method in this work is simple and effective to reduce the dielectric constant of PI and can be easily extended to other organic component‐filled PI systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-healing soft electronic and robotic devices can, like human skin, recover autonomously from damage. While current devices use a single type of dynamic polymer for all functional layers to ensure strong interlayer adhesion, this approach requires manual layer alignment. In this study, we used two dynamic polymers, which have immiscible backbones but identical dynamic bonds, to maintain interlayer adhesion while enabling autonomous realignment during healing. These dynamic polymers exhibit a weakly interpenetrating and adhesive interface, whose width is tunable. When multilayered polymer films are misaligned after damage, these structures autonomously realign during healing to minimize interfacial free energy. We fabricated devices with conductive, dielectric, and magnetic particles that functionally heal after damage, enabling thin-film pressure sensors, magnetically assembled soft robots, and underwater circuit assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active packaging manufactured with biopolymers extracted from agri-food waste is one of the most innovative and eco-sustainable strategies for maintaining food quality. However, biopolymers often present poor performances, which hinders their competitiveness compared with plastics. This work focused on developing and optimizing a natural polymeric blend produced by solvent casting based on zein and chitosan to improve the pure biopolymers' properties. The best results were obtained by blending zein and chitosan in a 1:2 weight ratio. The films were characterized in terms of morphology, mechanical and oxygen barrier properties, thermal stability, transparency and wettability. The blend production allowed us to obtain lower brittleness and lower stiffness materials compared with pure polymer films, with oxygen permeability values two orders of magnitude lower than pure zein, better optical properties with respect to pure chitosan and good thermal stability. The wettability properties of the blend did not result in being altered with respect to the single polymer, which was found to have hydrophilic behavior, highlighting the strong influence of glycerol used as a plasticizer. The results suggested that the polymer blending strategy is a viable and cost-effective method for producing packaging materials as alternatives to plastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on the fabrication of thin films of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and ethyl cellulose (EC) polymer blends impregnated with captopril via matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) for the design of transdermal patches. The laser engineered polymer blend: captopril films are evaluated for physicochemical characteristics such as film morphology, chemistry of the films surface, drug content, and in vivo animal irritancy and skin sensitivity studies. The morphological investigation of the MAPLE fabricated coatings, i.e., by atomic force microscopy reveals that the morphology and topography of the polymer: drug films may be tuned by adjusting the HPMC: EC ratio in the MAPLE target. In addition, by tuning the HPMC: EC ratio in the as-deposited MAPLE films, it is possible to adjust the drug release profile. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy investigation showed no interaction between captopril and the polymers (HPMC: EC) used. The skin irritation studies carried out on rabbits, showed no noticeable skin reactions, thus pointing out the compatibility of captopril with both the polymer blend and with the skin. In addition, no skin sensitization was noted among the guinea pigs that were challenged with the MAPLE fabricated transdermal patches. To sum up, the application of matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation for the fabrication of hydrophilic: hydrophobic polymer blends shows that there is great potential for the development of transdermal drug delivery system of captopril. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic solar cells (OSCs) demonstrating high power conversion efficiencies have been mostly fabricated using halogenated solvents, which are highly toxic and harmful to humans and the environment. Recently, non-halogenated solvents have emerged as a potential alternative. However, there has been limited success in attaining an optimal morphology when non-halogenated solvents (typically o-xylene (XY)) were used. To address this issue, we studied the dependence of the photovoltaic properties of all-polymer solar cells (APSCs) on various high-boiling-point non-halogenated additives. We synthesized PTB7-Th and PNDI2HD-T polymers that are soluble in XY and fabricated PTB7-Th:PNDI2HD-T-based APSCs using XY with five additives: 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (TMB), indane (IN), tetralin (TN), diphenyl ether (DPE), and dibenzyl ether (DBE). The photovoltaic performance was determined in the following order: XY + IN < XY + TMB < XY + DBE ≤ XY only < XY + DPE < XY + TN. Interestingly, all APSCs processed with an XY solvent system had better photovoltaic properties than APSCs processed with chloroform solution containing 1,8-diiodooctane (CF + DIO). The key reasons for these differences were unraveled using transient photovoltage and two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray diffraction experiments. The charge lifetimes of APSCs based on XY + TN and XY + DPE were the longest, and their long lifetime was strongly associated with the polymer blend film morphology; the polymer domain sizes were in the nanoscale range, and the blend film surfaces were smoother, as the PTB7-Th polymer domains assumed an untangled, evenly distributed, and internetworked morphology. Our results demonstrate that the use of an additive with an optimal boiling point facilitates the development of polymer blends with a favorable morphology and can contribute to the widespread use of eco-friendly APSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HCl doped-copolymer of ortho phenylene diamine, meta phenylene diamine, and pyrrole terpolymers blend was synthesized. Physical vapor deposition was used to produce the terpolymer-blended thin films, allowing the creation of the fiber structure at a low deposition rate, with a chamber pressure of 5 × 10−5 mbar and a thickness of 100 ± 2 nm. The produced thin films of terpolymers blend were examined utilizing a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques including TD-DFT/DMol3, CATSTEP, FT-IR spectrum, XRD, and optical characterizations. According to XRD computations, the terpolymers blend had an average crystallite size of 190 ± 2 nm, while SEM measurements showed that the length of the fibers was ≅ 73 ± 2 μm. The blend of terpolymers displayed an absorbance of 1.83 at 612 nm. Additionally, the blend of terpolymers' indirect/direct bandgap and absorption index was observed with noticeable alterations. The molecular structure optimization and frequency calculations for the crystal models and isolated molecules were carried out using the materials studio 7.0 tool (TDDFT/DMol3 and CASTEP). The DFT-Gaussian09W-vibration values closely matched the experimental results in terms of structure and optical characteristics. The application of thin films in polymer solar cell applications looks promising due to the noticeable improvements in optical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aluminum (Al) foil used in Al/polymer laminated film of the soft package lithium‐ion battery (LIB) is widely treated with a hexavalent chromate conversion coating to increase the adhesive strength and durability of the adhesive joint. Given that hexavalent chromate is toxic and carcinogenic, a novel and chromate‐free method was developed in this study for surface modification of the Al foil using polydopamine (PDA) functionalization after titanium (Ti) chemical conversion. Ti conversion favors the deposition of PDA and introduces more functional groups of PDA on the Al surface. A novel polypropylene‐based hot melt adhesive, MAH‐g‐(PP/PBE), was prepared by melt grafting of maleic anhydride on the blend of polypropylene and propylene‐based elastomer for use as the inner adhesive of Al/polymer laminated film. Then, treated Al foil/MAH‐g‐(PP/PBE) composites were prepared and their interfacial adhesive strengths were investigated. The results show that the amine and catechol groups of PDA improve the interfacial adhesion between adhesive and Al foil by improving the wettability and interfacial interaction. The peel strength between MAH‐g‐(PP/PBE) and PDA functionalized Al foil after Ti conversion treatment can reach 3.55 N/mm, which is increased by 322% compared with that between MAH‐g‐PP and untreated Al foil. PDA functionalization after Ti chemical conversion and MAH‐g‐(PP/PBE) have great potential to improve interfacial adhesion of Al/polymer laminated film used in LIB package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polybenzoxazines (Pbzs) are considered as an advanced class of thermosetting phenolic resins as they overcome the shortcomings associated with novolac and resole type phenolic resins. Several advantages of these materials include curing without the use of catalysts, release of non-toxic by-products during curing, molecular design flexibility, near-zero shrinkage of the cured materials, low water absorption and so on. In spite of all these advantages, the brittleness of Pbz is a knotty problem that could be solved by blending with other polymers. Chitosan (Ch), has been extensively investigated in this context, but its thermal and mechanical properties rule out its practical applications. The purpose of this work is to fabricate an entirely bio-based Pbz films by blending chitosan with benzoxazine (Bzo), which is synthesized from curcumin and furfuryl amine (curcumin-furfurylamine-based Bzo, C-fu), by making use of a benign Schiff base chemistry. FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy were used to confirm the structure of C-fu. The impact of chitosan on benzoxazine polymerization was examined using FT-IR and DSC analyses. Further evidence for synergistic interactions was provided by DSC, SEM, TGA, and tensile testing. By incorporating C-fu into Ch, Ch-grafted-poly(C-fu) films were obtained with enhanced chemical resistance and tensile strength. The bio-based polymer films produced inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, by reversible labile linkages, expanding Ch galleries, and releasing phenolic species, which was 125 times stronger than bare Ch. In addition, synthesized polybenzoxazine films [Ch/Poly(C-fu)] showed significant dose-dependent antibiofilm activity against S. aureus and E. coli as determined by confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). This study suggests that bio-based Ch-graft-polymer material provide improved anti-bacterial property and characteristics that may be considered as a possibility in the near future for wound healing and implant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work considers the integration of g-C3N4 nanosheets into PVC/PVP polymer nanocomposites at ratios of 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 wt%. The XRD data scans showed semicrystalline structures for all PVC/PVP/g-C3N4 polymer blend films. The FTIR and Raman measurements revealed intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the g-C3N4 surface and the OH− groups of the PVC/PVP network. ESEM morphology analysis for PVC/PVP/g-C3N4 nanocomposite films displayed homogeneous surface textures. The data of TGA showed improved thermal stability as the decomposition temperature increased from 262 to 276 °C with the content of g-C3N4 (0.0–1.0 wt%). The optical absorbance data for PVC/PVP films improved after the addition of g-C3N4. The optical energy gaps showed compositional dependence on the g-C3N4 content, which changed from 5.23 to 5.34 eV at indirect allowed transitions. The refractive index for these blend films enhanced (1.83–3.96) with the inclusion of g-C3N4. Moreover, the optical susceptibility for these nanocomposite films increased as the content of g-C3N4 changed from 0.0 to 1.0 wt%. Finally, the values of the nonlinear refractive index showed improvement with the increased percentage of g-C3N4. When g-C3N4 was added up to 1.0 wt%, the DC conductivity improved from 4.21 × 10−8 to 1.78 × 10−6 S/cm. The outcomes of this study prove the suitable application of PVC/PVP/g-C3N4 in optoelectronic fiber sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at developing the microwave-treated, physically cross-linked polymer blend film, optimizing the microwave treatment time, and testing for physicochemical attributes and wound healing potential in diabetic animals. Microwave-treated and untreated films were prepared by the solution casting method and characterized for various attributes required by a wound healing platform. The optimized formulation was tested for skin regeneration potential in the diabetes-induced open-incision animal model. The results indicated that the optimized polymer film formulation (MB-3) has significantly enhanced physicochemical properties such as high moisture adsorption (154.6 ± 4.23%), decreased the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value of (53.0 ± 2.8 g/m2/h) and water vapor permeability (WVP) value (1.74 ± 0.08 g mm/h/m2), delayed erosion (18.69 ± 4.74%), high water uptake, smooth and homogenous surface morphology, higher tensile strength (56.84 ± 1.19 MPa), and increased glass transition temperature and enthalpy (through polymer hydrophilic functional groups depicting efficient cross-linking). The in vivo data on day 16 of post-wounding indicated that the wound healing occurred faster with significantly increased percent re-epithelialization and enhanced collagen deposition with optimized MB-3 film application compared with the untreated group. The study concluded that the microwave-treated polymer blend films have sufficiently enhanced physical properties, making them an effective candidate for ameliorating the diabetic wound healing process and hastening skin tissue regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer blend hybrid nanocomposites are of great importance for future optoelectronic applications. This paper presents the preparation of new polymer blend hybrid nanocomposites based on PVC/PVP modified with Er2O3 nanoparticles. A low-cost solution casting method has been used to prepare the polymer nanocomposites at 0.0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 wt% of Er2O3. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) measurements have all been used to examine the impact of a varying wt% of Er2O3 on the structural and optical characteristics of PVP/PVC polymer blends. The PVC/PVP polymer blend and Er2O3 nanoparticles showed a strong interaction, which was validated by XRD, FTIR, and Raman spectrum investigations. The SEM micrographs showed a remarkable complexation among the components of the polymer nanocomposites. The activation energies for thermal decomposition of PVC/PVP doped with different Er2O3 concentrations were less than that of the pure polymer film. The linear and nonlinear refractive indexes, dispersion energy, optical susceptibility and the energy gap values were found to be Er2O3 concentration-dependent. With an increase in Er2O3 concentration to 0.1 and 0.3 wt%, the dispersion energy and nonlinear refractive index improved, and thereafter decreased when the concentration was further increased to 0.6For the film doped with 0.1 wt% Er2O3, the optical band gap (Eopt) of the composite film enhanced by about 13%. The optical absorption measurements revealed clear improvements with the addition of erbium oxide. Higher refractive index values of PVC/PVP/Er2O3 films qualify the polymer blend as a cladding for electro-optic modulators. Our results indicated that the PVC/PVP/Er2O3 polymer films could be suitable for optoelectronic space applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PVDF/PSSA/PVP blend membrane in the blend ratio of 60/15/25 and 50/30/20 are prepared by solution cast technique. The actuating performance of PVSD/PSSA/PVP 60/15/25 and water uptake (WUP) of blend membrane is found to be higher than blend ratio of 50/30/20. PVDF/PSSA/PVP 60/15/25 characterized by different techniques such as XRD, SEM, FTIR, and electrical conductivity is determined at different frequencies. Ionic–polymer composite (IPC) actuator displays continuously large actuation displacement without back relaxation and with large blocking force at direct current (DC) voltage (1–30 V). In this membrane, PSSA is the polyelectrolyte, PVP is the hydrophilic basic polymer, and PVDF is the hydrophobic polymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monte Carlo simulation of coarse-grained "polyethylene-like" models was employed to study the structural properties of polymer blend nanofilms. For homopolymer films with stronger interchain interaction, the densities in the bulk region are increased and the films become thinner accompanied by sharper surface profiles. For polymer blend films, polymer species with weaker interchain interaction preferably migrate to the surface region while the other components tend to locate near the center of the film. For stronger chain interaction, chain ends are more segregated at the surface while the middle beads are depleted. With increasing interchain interaction, there is a higher degree of anisotropic orientation at the bond and chain scale in the surface region. Compared to homopolymer films, chain dimension and shape become more distorted as a function of interchain interaction, especially in the surface region, and exhibit more anisotropic changes in the perpendicular direction to the surface. The longest principal axes of polymer chains are preferably aligned in the parallel direction to the surface and then changed toward isotropic random arrangement in the interior of film structures. Polymers adopt more gauche conformation with better chain packing for films with strong interchain interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin self-standing films with potential antimicrobial synergistic activity have been produced by a simple green chemical synthesis with overnight thermal treatment. Their properties have been studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and other techniques to understand their potential range of applications. In this work, the focus was set on the development of a potential novel and effective alternative to conventional antimicrobial materials. By creating an antimicrobial polymer blend, and using it to develop and immobilize fine (~25 nm) silver nanophases, we further aimed to exploit its film-forming properties and create a solid composite material. The resulting polymer matrix showed improved water uptake percentage and better stability in the presence of water. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity of the films, which is due to both organic and inorganic components, has been evaluated by Kirby–Bauer assay against common foodborne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica) and resulted in a clear inhibition zone of 1.2 cm for the most complex nanocomposition. The excellent performance against bacteria of fresh and 6-month-old samples proves the prospects of this material for the development of smart and biodegradable food packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the promising options in the pursuit of clean and sustainable energy is fuel cell technology. PEM fuel cell stands out among fuel cell technologies due to its high efficiency, compactness, and ability to be used in portable applications. SPEEK (with different sulfonation degrees) and PVA blend membranes, which are thought to create a good synergy for PEM fuel cell, were prepared by using the solution casting method. As a result of the weight loss experiments, it was understood that the membranes dissolve in water regardless of the degree of sulfonation. Thermal crosslinking was carried out to prevent the membrane dissolution in water, which is in continuous contact with water in the fuel cell. Dissolution was mostly prevented by means of the thermal crosslinking process. Changes in the physical, chemical, and mechanical structure of the membrane after thermal crosslinking were comparatively determined by fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis – differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), water uptake capacity, swelling property, ion exchange capacity (IEC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), electrochemical impedance analysis and oxidative stability. In addition, single-cell performance tests were performed with the membrane that gave the best results in the characterization analyses. Analysis results showed that thermal crosslinking prevented the dissolution of membranes in water ingreat extent. In addition, it was determined that the thermally crosslinked membranes had a more stable structure. • SPEEK-PVA blend membranes are partially dissolved in water, lose 14.1%–16.7% of their weight at room temperature. • The thermal crosslinking procedure at 180 °C for 48 h inhibits the partial dissolution in water by about 60%. • Thermal crosslinking increased the glass transition temperature of the membrane, making it useable in HT-PEMFC. • Blend membrane's promising proton conductivity is controlled by the Grotthuss mechanism. • Reduction of hydroxyl and sulfonic acid groups in the thermally crosslinked membranes increased oxidative stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the study of thermal and physical properties of thin polymer films based on mixtures of semiconductor polymers. The materials selected for research were poly [2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-pyrrolo [3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione-3,6-diyl)-alt-(2,2′;5′,2″;5″,2′′′-quater-thiophen-5,5′′′-diyl)]—PDPP4T, a p-type semiconducting polymer, and poly(2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-3,6-di(pyridin-2-yl)-pyrrolo [3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione-alt-2,2′-bithiophene)—PDBPyBT, a high-mobility n-type polymer. The article describes the influence of the mutual participation of materials on the structure, physical properties and thermal transitions of PDPP4T:PDBPyBT blends. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the phase diagram for PDPP4T:PDBPyBT blend films, constructed on the basis of variable-temperature spectroscopic ellipsometry and differential scanning calorimetry. Both techniques are complementary to each other, and the obtained results overlap to a large extent. Our research shows that these polymers can be mixed in various proportions to form single-phase mixtures with several thermal transitions, three of which with the lowest characteristic temperatures can be identified as glass transitions. In addition, the RMS roughness value of the PDPP4T:PDBPyBT blended films was lower than that of the pure materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PVC/PVP polymer blend films modified with MoO 3 nanoparticles. • Direct/indirect energy gaps increased upon increasing MoO 3 content. • Dispersion energy, refractive index and oscillator strength of the films investigated. • MoO 3 additives improved linear and non-linear optical parameters. • The experimental results indicated a reliable composites for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A solution-immersion method was developed to fabricate sandwich polymer films. • A high breakdown strength of 709.4 MV/m is achieved by sandwich structure. • The epoxy-polycarbonate sandwich film has an ideal energy density of 8.44 J/cm3. • Sandwich structure retains high dielectric constant with low dielectric loss. • The discharge energy density reaches 1 J/cm3 at 200 MV/m, 100 % better than BOPP. Epoxy-polycarbonate sandwiched films with enhanced dielectric performance were prepared in this study. Unlike traditional tedious multiple scratch-coating approach, the sandwich dielectric films were prepared based on a convenient solution-immersion process. Polycarbonate solutions with different concentration were applied to adjust the film composition and compared with epoxy-polycarbonate blending film. We found that rather than deteriorating the breakdown strength as shown in the blending counterpart, sandwiched films prepared by solution immersion shows superior breakdown strength (709.6 MV/m), almost 40 % better than both epoxy and polycarbonate components. Moreover, tan δ of the films prepared from solution-immersion (<0.005) is apparently smaller than blending samples (∼0.008). Both factors lead to admirable ideal dielectric energy storage performance (8.44 J/cm3) of the film, better than many conventional polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer film coating with a highly hydrophobic surface property is a practical approach to prevent fouling of any structures in the marine environment without affecting marine microorganisms. The preparation of a polymer coating, from a simple and easy method of solution blending of hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane elastomer and hydrophilic polyurethane with SiO2, was carried out in this study, with the aim of improving characteristics, and the coating demonstrated economic feasibility for antifouling application. Incorporation of SiO2 particles into PDMS and PDMS/PU polymer film improved mechanical properties of the film and the support fabrication of micropatterns by means of a soft lithography process. Observations from field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) of the PDMS/SiO2 composite film revealed a homogeneous morphology and even dispersion of the SiO2 disperse phase between 1–5 wt.%. Moreover, the PDMS film with 3 wt.% loading of SiO2 considerably increased WCA to 115.7° ± 2.5° and improved mechanical properties by increasing Young's modulus by 128%, compared with neat PDMS film. Additionally, bonding strength between barnacles and the PDMS film with 3 wt.% of SiO2 loading was 0.16 MPa, which was much lower than the bonding strength between barnacles and the reference carbon steel of 1.16 MPa. When compared to the previous study using PDMS/PU blend (95:5), the count of barnacles of PDMS with 3 wt.% SiO2 loading was lower by 77% in the two-week field tests and up to 97% in the eight-week field tests. Subsequently, when PDMS with 3 wt.% SiO2 was further blended with PU, and the surface modified by the soft lithography process, it was found that PDMS/PU (95:5) with 3 wt.% SiO2 composite film with micropatterns increased WCA to 122.1° ± 2.9° and OCA 90.8 ± 3.6°, suggesting that the PDMS/PU (95:5) with 3 wt.% SiO2 composite film with surface modified by the soft lithography process could be employed for antifouling application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, solid flexible polymer blend electrolytes (PBE) composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) with different amounts of sodium thiocyanate (NaSCN) salt mixed in double-distilled water (solvent) are prepared via solution casting method. The obtained films are characterized using several techniques. The study of the surface morphology of the polymer blend salt complex films via the POM technique reveals the presence of amorphous regions due to the NaSCN effect. FTIR spectra studies confirm the complex formation between PVA, PVP, and NaSCN. The addition of 20 wt% NaSCN salt in the composition PVA: PVP (50:50 wt%) polymer blend matrix leads to an increase in the number of charge carriers and thus improves the ionic conductivity. The ionic conductivity of each polymer blend electrolyte was studied using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. The highest room temperature ionic conductivity of 8.1 × 10−5 S/cm S cm−1 is obtained for the composition of PVA: PVP (50:50 wt%) with 20 wt% NaSCN. LSV test shows the optimized ion-conducting polymer blend electrolyte is electrochemically stable up to 1.5 V. TNM analysis reveals that 99% of ions contribute for the conductivity against 1% of electrons only in the highly conductive polymer electrolyte PVA: PVP (50:50 wt%) + 20 wt% NaSCN. A supercapacitor device was fabricated using the optimized ion-conducting polymer blend film and graphene oxide (GO) coated electrodes. The GCD curve clearly reveals the behavior of an ideal capacitor with less Faradic process and low ESR value. The columbic efficiency of the GO-based system is found to be 100%, the GO-based electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 12.15 F/g and the system delivers the charge for a long duration. The specific capacitance of the solid-state supercapacitor cell was found to be 13.28 F/g via the CV approach close to 14.25 F/g obtained with EIS data at low frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, both solid-state reactions, at low temperature, and casting methods were employed to fabricate polymeric blends films based on polyvinyl alcohol/Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVA/CMC/PVP) loaded with non-stoichiometric zinc sulfide (ZnS1-x). Rietveld analysis of XRD revealed single phase ZnS for x ≤ 0.1 and biphasic ZnS/ZnO structure for x ≤ 0.5, with average crystallite size between 3.5–5 nm for ZnS and 50–65 nm for ZnO. SEM images disclosed smooth homogenous surface for the pure polymer blend, which attained some roughness upon loading with ZnS1-x. EDS analysis revealed inclusion of O ions compensating S deficiency with elements percentages consistent with chemical composition. Various parameters such as linear refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constants, optical conductivity, (surface and volume) energy loss functions and nonlinear optical parameters were calculated using diffused reflectance measurements. The direct (Edirg) and indirect (Eindg) optical band gaps were decreased non-monotonically from (5.22 and 5.02 eV) to (4.1 and 3.18 eV), respectively. The effects of different excitation wavelengths and sulfur deficiency (x) on the emitted colors from the blended polymer were also explored. The FL intensity was greatly enhanced with the sulfur deficiency (x). The results revealed that loading the blends with ZnS1-x increased their usability in many fields such as UV shielding, photocatalysis and new optical device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, new composite films consisting of hierarchical nanobelt V2O5 and polymer mixture were prepared via a simple casting method. The incorporation of 30 wt.% of V2O5 into the polymer matrix yielded a honeycomb like structure with abundant micro-voids (5.5 μm), higher roughness average by 45.8%, and a higher root mean square roughness by 52%, which are beneficial for the enhancement of active surface area for dye adsorption. Furthermore, optical property studies have shown that the incorporation of V2O5 has made the nanocomposite film a suitable UV–visible light-sensitive material, and thus the application of films can be expanded towards photocatalytic degradation of various toxic pollutants such as nitrophenol, Cr(VI), antibiotects, and so on. Finally, the composite film exhibited enhanced thermostability in comparison to unmodified film, as confirmed by TGA and DSC analysis. The optimal film showed 96.3% removal efficiency and 27.02 mg/g adsorption capacity. The dye sorption performance of V2O5 based films is studied at various times, dosages, and initial dye concentrations. The experimental data more closely fit the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.997) than the Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models, demonstrating a monolayer adsorption mechanism. The MB adsorption process on V2O5 film was controlled by the chemical adsorption step, which was evidenced by the good-fitting of kinetic adsorption results to the pseudo second order model (R2 = 0.991). The obtained results indicated that the V2O5 based films in this work are hopeful candidates for environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Heteroatom‐doped carbtableons derived from carbonization of highly porous metal organic framework (MOF) nanocrystals have received tremendous attention due to their exceptional surface areas. They can be used as conductive supports for various electrocatalysts. Depending on the synthesis, various MOFs with different coordination structures, morphologies, and porosities can be designed for versatile applications such as gas storage, catalysis, and energy storage systems. In this work, we combine nitrogen‐doped carbon nanoparticles derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐8) with PEDOT:PSS, a conductive polymer mixture, for highly flexible supercapacitor electrode. The composite film exhibits a 3D interconnected network favorable for fast charge transfer kinetics with a high surface area. This nitrogen‐doped porous carbon‐PEDOT:PSS composite film shows good specific energy of 7.19 Wh kg−1 and good rate performance as well as long cycle life for at least 5000 charge‐discharge cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic–inorganic nanocomposites materials were made using the aqueous solution-cast process and consisted of a 50/50 wt% combination of chitosan (Cs) and polyacrylamide (PAM) doped with various concentrations of silver nanoparticles (0.1, 0.4, and 0.6 wt%). Ag NPs had a significant impact on the structural behavior of the Cs/PAM-Ag polymer blend, according to XRD and FTIR studies. Furthermore, XRD measurements show that increasing Ag nanoparticles inside the blend matrix increase the amourphuosity of polymer films. The intermolecular interaction between Cs/PAM blend and Ag nanoparticles is indicated by the FTIR spectra, which show that the intensity of the nanocomposites films decreases with Ag NPs addition. The optical bandgap decreases as the Ag NPs concentration in the Cs/PAM matrix increases, while the Urbach energy increases. The AC conductivity was improved after adding the silver nanoparticles. The values of the complex permittivity of the nanocomposite samples showed increment with a rise in the concentration of Ag NPs, which is due to an increase in ionic conduction of the films. The present results showed the advantage of using Ag NPs as nanofiller to improve the optical and electrical properties of Cs/PAM samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Block copolymers (BCP) consisting of a polar block and a surface active apolar block are widely used for surface functionalization of polymer films. The characteristics of the copolymer blocks determine whether surface segregation and/or phase separation occurs, for a given bulk mixture. This data can be used to find the optimal BCP composition where high surface enrichment is obtained without accumulation of phase separated BCP in the bulk. The distribution of poly(ethylene oxide)-polydimethylsiloxane (PEO-PDMS) BCP in a polymer formulation relevant for coating applications is systematically investigated. The surface segregation is studied in liquid formulations with surface tension measurements and dried films with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), whereas phase separation is quantified using turbidity measurements. The results are compared with Scheutjens-Fleer self-consistent field (SF-SCF) computations, which are also applied to determine the effect of film drying on BCP phase stability and surface segregation. Longer PDMS blocks result in lower interfacial tension of the liquid polymer mixture, whereas for the cured films, the largest PDMS concentration at the interface was obtained for intermediate PDMS block lengths. This is explained by the observation that phase separation already occurs at very low BCP concentrations for long PDMS blocks. The SCF predictions qualitatively agree with the experimental results and reveal that the BCP distribution changes significantly during film drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural, optical and photodegradation performance of PVDF/PVA polymer blend doped with different concentration of NiO NPs were studied using casting technique method. The effect of adding NiO NPs on PVDF/PVA are investigated using X‐ray Diffraction (XRD), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM), Fourier Transform Infrared–Attenuated Total Reflection (FTIR–ATR), Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UV–Vis), and High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (HRSEM). XRD results showed that the addition of NiO NPs increase the crystallinity of PVDF/PVA. The appearance and shifting of bands in FTIR–ATR indicate the structural change in the PVDF/PVA with adding NiO NPs combined with decrease in the band gap of nanocomposite films compared to pure blend in UV–Vis confirmed the incorporation of NiO NPs in PVDF/PVA. HRTEM shows the size of NiO NPs ranges from 3 to 10 nm which is agreed with that calculated from Scherrer equation. HRSEM shows a change in surface morphology of nanocomposite sample. Malachite green dye as a textile wastewater pollutant model was chosen to assess the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of PVDF/PVA/NiO NPs. Gradual rising of the weight % of NiO in the prepared films results in higher photocatalytic efficiencies. Photocatalytic activity of PVDF/PVA/7% NiO NPs was 95.4% degradation of malachite green dye at pH 9, 3 g/L film weight and 300 min visible light irradiation. Photocatalytic degradation reaction for malachite green dyes is compatible with Pseudo first‐order kinetic model. Reusability results affirm a low decrease in photocatalytic performance after five runs makes the nanocomposite suitable for applications where reusability is a significant core factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drop‐on demand inkjet‐printing (IJP) is a deposition technique with promise in the context of fabricating large‐area organic solar cells (OSCs) because of its high material usage, direct‐pattern, and large‐area roll‐to‐roll printing compatibility. But its feature of drop‐to‐drop deposition during IJP makes the film's drying and phase separation process different from spin‐coating, and forms different nanophase separation and vertical phase separation morphology. In this work, the nanophase separation of the inkjet‐printed organic blend films is systematically studied at different substrate temperatures. The results reveal that increasing the substrate temperature can suppress excess molecules aggregation owing to the high drying speed, leading to improved exciton dissociation efficiency in the blend films. However, the quick drying process at high temperature also leads to a homogenous vertical phase separation, which is not ideal for charge collection. Instead of printing the mixture of donor and acceptor solution directly to form the bulk‐heterojunction structure, the polymer donor is printed on the top of the acceptor surface, a so‐called layer‐by‐layer inkjet printing (LBL‐IJP) process. By using this LBL‐IJP route, balanced nanoscale phase aggregation and gradient vertical phase separation morphology are achieved, which leads to a record power conversion efficiency of 13.09% for the OSCs with an inkjet‐printed active layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodetectors that can sense not only light intensity but also light's polarization state add valuable information that is beneficial in a wide array of applications. Polymer semiconductors are an attractive material system to achieve intrinsic polarization sensitivity due to their anisotropic optoelectronic properties. In this report, the thermomechanical properties of the polymer semiconductors PBnDT‐FTAZ and P(NDI2OD‐T2) are leveraged to realize bulk heterojunction (BHJ) films with record in‐plane alignment. Two polymer blends with distinct weight average molar masses (Mw) are considered and either a strain‐ or rub‐alignment process is applied to align the polymer blend films. Optimized processing yields films with dichroic ratios (DR) of over 11 for the high Mw system and nearly 17 for the low Mw system. Incorporating the aligned films into photodetectors results in a polarized photocurrent ratio of 15.25 with corresponding anisotropy ratio of 0.88 at a wavelength of 530 nm, representing the highest reported photocurrent ratio for photodiodes that can operate in a self‐powered regime. The demonstrated performance showcases the ability of polymer semiconductors to achieve BHJ films with exceptional in‐plane polymer alignment, enabling high performance polarization sensitive photodetectors for incorporation into novel device architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]