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Background: Diabetic complications are becoming common community problems. The outcomes of diabetic complications are increased hospitalization, increased direct patient costs, and mortality. In Dessie, the prevalence of diabetic complications is not well studied so far. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of diabetic complications and associated factors among adult diabetic patients in north India. Method & Materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted from Jan to March 2020, in the general medicine department. All diabetic patients who visited the clinic during the study period were included. Data was collected using an interview-guided-administered questionnaire. the presence of complications and the type of medications the patient was on were identified through a review of patient records. Results: Eighty-one (81) diabetic patients who came to the follow-up clinic during the 3 months of data collection were included in the study. The majority of the patients (57.4%) were males. The median age of the patients was 45 (±17.677) and they were known diabetic patients for a mean duration of 5.00 (±5.70) years. Complications were strongly associated with the occurrence of diabetic complications but self-reported adherence, attitude, and knowledge level of patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of complications among diabetic patients in Dessie Referral Hospital was high. Targeted counseling and health information provided to the patients by the clinical staff will help reduce avoidable morbidity and mortality in the patients. Keyword : — Diabetes, Complication, Ketoacidosis, Hypoglycemia, Prevalence

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of buckybowl corannulene-based oxa-norbornadiene monomer is shown to give rise to polymeric nanomaterials with an average pore size of about 1.4 nm and a surface area of 49.2 m2/g. Application in supercapacitor devices show that the corannulene-based nanomaterials exhibit a specific capacitance of 134 F·g–1 (1.0 V voltage window) in a three-electrode cell configuration. Moreover, the electrode assembled from these materials in a symmetric configuration (1.6 V voltage window) exhibits long-term cyclability of 90% capacitance retention after undergoing 10000 cycles. This work demonstrates that ROMP is a valuable method in synthesizing nanostructured corannulene polymers, and that materials based on the nonplanar polycyclic aromatic motif represents an attractive active component for fabrication of devices targeted at electrochemical energy storage applications. Accepted version

Tissue engineering has played a very significant role in the medical field with an ever-growing demand for various tissue donations. One crucial factor is the fabrication of a desirable artificial three-dimensional (3D) tissue scaffold to act as the extracellular matrix (ECM), meeting the complex requirements for specific cell cultures. Existing scaffold fabrication techniques and systems used in constructing extracellular matrix are two-dimensionally limiting, expensive, and time-consuming. For instance, some simple fabrication methods cannot control fabricated structures with morphologies accurately, while others may introduce harmful organic solvents into scaffolds during the fabrication processes. To achieve an optimal scaffold for tissue engineering, we developed a novel 3D printing system capable of printing tissue scaffold structures with improved efficiency. The uniqueness of our system is the transparent diffractive optical elements (DOEs) of linear binary Fresnel lens fabricated to control the luminous intensity distribution. These DOEs of different patterns are arranged in series on a coverslip with each optical element designed to diffact and focus incident light at a particular plane within the device. Coupled with other optical components of the system, 3D woodpile scaffolds were printed in an effective and efficient one-step light exposure process to photo cross-link the polymer solution upon demand. The combination of photo cross-linking and diffractive optical technique incorporated within our system enables the patterning of polymer solutions within seconds, making large-scale fast production not only feasible, but also making printing of complex features simple. With this system, 3D two-layered woodpile structures were successfully fabricated within 3 seconds. While cell toxicity studies showed that the scaffold can be used for tissue engineering.

Polymer-nanoparticle composites find relevance in various fields ranging from optoelectronics to the biomedical sciences. Various efforts have been made to devise fabrication strategies that are simple, robust,and reproducible. Herein, we demonstrate a universal strategy to fabricate plasmon-active polymer-nanoparticle composites, exemplified by the incorporation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into a triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) polymer scaffold. The TEGDMA scaffold was synthesized on a planar glass support substrate via surface-initiated atomic transfer radical polymerization, followed by the immersion of the TEGDMA-coated glass substrate in a solution of AuNPs prepared via conventional wet-chemical synthesis. This led to the strong attachment of AuNPs to the TEGDMA nanolobes, which was confirmed by the UV absorption peak at 527 nm, due to localized surface plasmon resonance of AuNPs. More importantly, the nanolobe architecture facilitates nanoparticle trapping while allowing molecular access to the nanoparticle surface. This enabled us to further functionalize the incorporated AuNPs with thrombin binding aptamer and utilize the biofunctionalized polymer-nanoparticle composite as a thrombin sensor. The synergistic combination of metallic nanoparticles acting as a sensing module with a nonfouling polymer matrix acting both as a nonrigid scaffold and to screen biomolecules allowed the detection of thrombin with good sensitivity down to 0.01 ng/mL with a linear range over three orders of magnitude. Our work paves the way for the fabrication of reliable biomolecular sensors based on the polymer brush-nanoparticle architecture.

Many cases of derailments, train accidents and traffic interruptions due to the slope failure and rockfall have been reported in the past on Konkan Railway trackline because of unstable rock slopes. The authorities installed stability enhancement measures such as wire netting, rock bolting and shotcreting which were found insufficient. The failed geotechnical measures prompted authorities to excavate the unstable slopes. Rock blasting is generally not preferred for the excavation of slopes along the transportation route. Stabilisation and widening of slopes by blasting need closure of the route for a considerable time. Discontinuing traffic on Konkan Railway route was undesirable as it connects two important port cities Mumbai and Mangalore. The paper presents an innovative directional controlled blasting (DCB) technique for excavating three unstable slopes (i.e. cuttings) in hilly terrain without disturbing the traffic. New empirical formulae for small geometry blasting to estimate burden and throw have been developed. A unique sequence of firing and excavation with powder factor varying between 0.04 and 0.39 kg/m3 irrespective of the actual free face was used for rock blasting. The process controlled the throw of blasted material over the track and resulted in a smooth and stable wall. The slope angle has been changed from 80 to 82° to 45–47° and probability of wedge, planar and toppling failures was eliminated. About 100 such accident-prone slopes (52 km cumulative length, 7% of total route) situated at discrete locations along Konkan Railway route were stabilised using the technique. No incident of rockfall and slope failures along these slopes has been observed after the stabilisation.

In this review article, we focus on the various types of materials used in biomedical implantable devices, including the polymeric materials used as substrates and for the packaging of such devices. Polymeric materials are used because of the ease of fabrication, flexibility, and their biocompatible nature as well as their wide range of mechanical, electrical, chemical, and thermal behaviors when combined with different materials as composites. Biocompatible and biostable polymers are extensively used to package implanted devices, with the main criteria that include gas permeability and water permeability of the packaging polymer to protect the electronic circuit of the device from moisture and ions inside the human body. Polymeric materials must also have considerable tensile strength and should be able to contain the device over the envisioned lifetime of the implant. For substrates, structural properties and, at times, electrical properties would be of greater concern. Section 1 gives an introduction of some medical devices and implants along with the material requirements and properties needed. Different synthetic polymeric materials such as polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polydimethylsiloxane, parylene, polyamide, polytetrafluoroethylene, poly(methyl methacrylate), polyimide, and polyurethane have been examined, and liquid crystalline polymers and nanocomposites have been evaluated as biomaterials that are suitable for biomedical packaging (section 2). A summary and glimpse of the future trend in this area has also been given (section 3). Materials and information used in this manuscript are adapted from papers published between 2010 and 2015 representing the most updated information available on each material.

Fabrication of 3D cell scaffolds has gained tremendous attention in recent years because of its applications in tissue engineering and cell biology applications. The success of tissue engineering or cell interactions mainly depends on the fabrication of well-defined microstructures, which ought to be biocompatible for cell proliferation. Femtosecond-laser-based 3D printing is one of the solution candidates that can be used to manufacture 3D tissue scaffolds through computer-aided design (CAD) which can be efficiently engineered to mimic the microenvironment of tissues. UV-based lithography has also been used for constructing the cellular scaffolds but the toxicity of UV light to the cells has prevented its application to the direct patterning of the cells in the scaffold. Although the mask-based lithography has provided a high resolution, it has only enabled 2D patterning not arbitrary 3D printing with design flexibility. Femtosecond-laser-based 3D printing is trending in the area of tissue engineering and cell biology applications due to the formation of well-defined micro- and submicrometer structures via visible and near-infrared (NIR) femtosecond laser pulses, followed by the fabrication of cell scaffold microstructures with a high precision. Laser direct writing and multiphoton polymerization are being used for fabricating the cell scaffolds, The implication of spatial light modulators in the interference lithography to generate the digital hologram will be the future prospective of mask-based lithography. Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEG-DA), ormocomp, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETTA) have been fabricated through TPP to generate the cell scaffolds, whereas SU-8 was used to fabricate the microrobots for targeted drug delivery. Well-designed and precisely fabricated 3D cell scaffolds manufactured by femtosecond-laser-based 3D printing can be potentially used for studying cell migration, matrix invasion and nuclear stiffness to determine stage of cancer and will open broader horizons in the future in tissue engineering and biology applications.

In the present study, nanofiber mats of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and 1:1 (w/w) PVA & PVAc (multi-component composite) have been developed and evaluated for the sustained release of broad spectrum antibacterial drug ‘ciprofloxacin HCl’. These nanofiber mats were developed through electrospinning the solutions of these non-toxic and biocompatible polymers (i.e. Drug PVA and PVAc) individually, as well as in 1:1 (w/w) mixed condition (i.e. composite). Prior to the electrospinning (about 1.5 h), 5%, 10% and 15% w/w ciprofloxacin HCl (CipHCl) was also homogeneously mixed in these polymer solutions. Results indicate that the average diameter of PVA, PVAc and multiple-component composite (PVA/PVAc) fibers without drug loading was 59.5, 93.3 and 183.7 nm, respectively. Moreover, the average diameter for drug multiple-component composite (1:1) fibers with increasing drug concentration (i.e. 5%, 10% and 15%) was 171, 163.5 and 162.4 nm, respectively. XRD analysis of these nanofiber mats showed higher surface property, which is indicated by only weak signals for the characteristic peaks with increasing drug concentration. For 5% CipHCl loading, the drug released from drug-multiple-component composite was intermediate (∼29%) as compared to PVA (∼50%) and PVAc (∼13%). However, the drug multiple-component composite mats exhibited the property of extended drug release for 10 days as compared to complete drug release of 6 days in case of both drug PVA and PVAc nanofiber mats. It indicates that the addition of PVAc promotes the sustained release of drug via its enhanced water stability, and reduced fiber swelling and initial burst of drug release.

Coherent imaging enables noninvasive, label‐free, and quantitative monitoring of the dynamic motions of transparent microobjects requested in life sciences, biochemistry, material sciences, and fluid mechanics. Quantitative phase imaging (QPI), a coherent imaging technique, provides full‐field optical phase information through light interference. The use of coherence, however, inevitably accompanies phase ambiguity and coherent artifacts, such as speckle, diffraction, and parasitic interference, which severely deteriorate the interferograms to hinder successful phase reconstruction. Herein, it is demonstrated that a frequency comb can newly provide a wide coherence tunability for higher visibility interferograms, phase‐coherent multiple wavelengths for extracting physical height information from refractive index, and higher phase stability (2.39 × 10−3 at 10 s averaging time) at a higher speed up to 16.9 kHz. These superior characteristics of frequency‐comb‐referenced QPI will enable in‐depth understanding of dynamic motions in cellular, biomolecular, and microphysical samples.

Long-term in vitro stability of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) was studied for up to 52 weeks in phosphate buffer solution at 37, 55, and 80°C. Water uptake, molecular weights, and tensile properties were measured at regular intervals of 4, 8, 16, 32, and 52 weeks. The rate of molecular weight reduction increased with increasing temperature, and after 52 weeks at 80°C, all commercial polycarbonate (Bionate-55D, Quadrathane-80A, and Chronoflex-80A), poly(dimethylsiloxane) (ElastEon-2A) and polyether (Elasthane-55D) TPUs showed significant (43–51%) molecular weight (Mn) reduction. The polyisobutylene (PIB)-based TPU exhibited a significantly lower decrease in Mn (26%) after 52 weeks at 80°C. For Bionate-55D and ElastEon-2A, at 80°C in dry nitrogen atmosphere substantial thermal degradation was observed, while for the other TPUs the effect of thermal degradation is small. The temperature dependent reduction of molecular weight was interpreted by simple second order kinetics. From the approximately linear Arrhenius plots the activation energies were calculated, which were highest for PIB-PU-020 and lowest for ElastEon-2A. For Elasthane-55D the in vitro molecular weight reduction was compared with that of explanted leads. The molecular weight reduction in vivo was much smaller than that predicted from in vitro data, which may suggest that the in vitro model does not adequately describe the hydrolysis in vivo. In the absence of validation for the other TPUs that in vitro methods closely reproduce in vivo degradation, it is unknown how these results correlate with in vivo performance. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3798–3806, 2015.

Additive manufacturing is applied to produce the high precision optical micro-components, which have prospects to transmit information and transform electromagnetic wave profile. SU-8 is a stable transparent epoxy resin that can be polymerized by two-photon polymerization to form the designed components.

Perovskite (Ba,Sr)TiO3 glass ceramics were crystallized in the presence of La2O3 for glass ceramic system ((Ba1xSrx)TiO3)-(2SiO2-B2O3)-(K2O)-(La2O3) (x = 0.0 and 0.4). The formation of major crystalline phase of BaTiO3 along with secondary phase of Ba2TiSi2O8 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. Major crystalline phase was clearly seen in the micrographs of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 borosilicate glass ceramic samples. The prepared glass ceramic samples showed very high values of toughness and elastic modulus. Barium strontium titanate (BST) glass ceramics are used in barrier layer capacitors for storage of high energy due to their very high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss.

Novel polyurethanes (PUs) have been synthesized using an aliphatic diisocyanate and aliphatic chain extenders with varying chain length. Nanocomposites of PUs have been prepared by dispersing 2-D nanoclay in poly-ol followed by prepolymerization and subsequent chain extension using various chain extenders. Systematic improvement in toughness and adequate enhancement in stiffness in the presence of nanoclay has been observed for PUs with longer chain extenders, and these new classes of nanocomposites exhibit no toughness-stiffness trade-off. Bottom-up self-assembly starting from the molecular level to micron-scale crystallite has been revealed through electronic structure calculation, X-ray diffraction, small-angle neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy and optical images. The role of hydrogen bonding has been revealed for this type of supramolecular assembly, and in the presence of organically modified nanoclay hydrogen bonding contributes to the formation of bigger clusters of nanocomposites. Controlled biodegradation of PU and its nanocomposites has been investigated in enzymatic media. Biocompatibility of these novel nanocomposites has been extensively verified through platelet adhesion, aggregation and hemolysis assay. Sustained drug delivery by biocompatible pristine PU and its nanocomposites has been demonstrated either by controlling the crystallite size of the polyurethane through alteration of the aliphatic chain length of the extender or by incorporating disc-like nanoclay, creating a tortuous path that results in delayed diffusion. Hence, the developed nanohybrids are potential biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery.

Concentration quenching effects of identical rare earth (RE) activator ions and energy transfer (ET) between different RE ions often compromise the photoluminescence (PL) quantum efficiency in RE based luminescence materials. Here, we demonstrate that in NaGd(WO4)2:Tb(3+), Eu(3+) inverse opal photonic crystals (IOPCs), the suppression of the emission line located in the photonic stop band (PSB) and a dramatic increase of the lifetimes of Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) ions are observed. More interestingly, the concentration quenching among Eu(3+) ions and ET from Tb(3+) to Eu(3+) is significantly relieved owing to the periodic empty cavity structure of IOPCs. As a consequence, the luminescent quantum efficiency (QE) of the NaGd(WO4)2:Tb(3+), Eu(3+) IOPCs increases ∼2 times more than that of crushed NaGd(WO4)2:Tb(3+), Eu(3+) powder. In addition, a reusable pH sensor with good linear response (pH 5-10) has been designed based on the high surface-to-volume ratio, high connectivity, and enhanced luminescence of NaGd(WO4)2:Tb(3+), Eu(3+)IOPCs, which could be applied to the dynamical detection of pH value.

Fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds with the use of novel 3D printing has gained lot of attention, however systematic investigation of biomaterials for 3D printing have not been widely explored. In this report, well-defined structures of polycaprolactone (PCL) and PCL- carbon nanotube (PCL-CNT) composite scaffolds have been designed and fabricated using a 3D printer. Conditions for 3D printing has been optimized while the effects of varying CNT percentages with PCL matrix on the thermal, mechanical and biological properties of the printed scaffolds are studied. Raman spectroscopy is used to characterise the functionalized CNTs and its interactions with PCL matrix. Mechanical properties of the composites are characterised using nanoindentation. Maximum peak load, elastic modulus and hardness increases with increasing CNT content. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies reveal the thermal and crystalline behaviour of PCL and its CNT composites. Biodegradation studies are performed in Pseudomonas Lipase enzymatic media, showing its specificity and effect on degradation rate. Cell imaging and viability studies of H9c2 cells from rat origin on the scaffolds are performed using fluorescence imaging and MTT assay, respectively. PCL and its CNT composites are able to show cell proliferation and have the potential to be used in cardiac tissue engineering.

Novel polyurethanes have been synthesized using aliphatic diisocyanate and aromatic chain extenders with varying spacer length. Nanohybrids of those polyurethanes have been prepared using two-dimensional surface modified nanoclay by dispersing it in poly-ol followed by prepolymerization and subsequent extension with chain extenders of a range of length scales. Dramatic improvement in toughness and adequate enhancement in stiffness in presence of nanoclay have been observed for higher spacer length of chain extender exhibiting no trade-off for these new classes of nanohybrids. Step-by-step self-assembly starting from nanometer dimension molecular association to micrometer scale crystallite has been revealed through electronic structure calculation, X-ray diffraction, small angle neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, and optical images. The role of hydrogen bonding has been uncovered for this type of supramolecular assembly which further aggravated in presence of organically modified nanoclay by maki...

TiO2 nanoparticles of different phases play a key role in property alteration of nanocomposite fibers. Polycaprolactone (PCL)/TiO2 composite fibers were prepared using the electrospinning method. Pure anatase and rutile phases were synthesized using the sol–gel route for nanocomposite synthesis. The Effect of nanoparticle phases on crystallinity of fibers and interaction with polymer molecules have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, morphology through SEM, surface properties using BET method and wetting property of fibers commencing from contact angle measurement. Biocompatibility and biodegradation of hybrid materials have been studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) and phosphate buffer (PBS), respectively. The anatase phase with smaller particle dimensions exhibited significant improvement of most of the properties as compared to composites made of the rutile phase. Better interaction between polymer chain and anatase particle PCL-A nanocomposite fibers leads to better mechanical property and biocompatibility vis-a-vis PCL-R and pristine PCL fibers. Biocompatibility of PCL nanocomposite has been testified through proliferation of fibroblast cell and its adhesion; MTT (3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay demonstrates good proliferation rate for cells on PCL-A nanocomposite fibres.

Micro-structural investigation of polyurethanes (PUs) with different chain structure has been reported. Polarized optical microscopic studies of aliphatic polyurethanes demonstrate the development of micro clusters with increasing hard segment content (HSC) and crystallization. DSC and XRD results support the crystalline and amorphous nature of aliphatic and aromatic PUs, respectively. Self-assembled biphasic morphology is discernible in aliphatic polyurethane while nanometer size domains are observed in aromatic PUs. The dimension of micro-domain has been measured by using AFM and established its size as independent of hard segment content. The self-assembly is greater for higher HSC aliphatic PUs leading to the formation of bigger domain while the meager hydrogen bond formation restricts the domain size of aromatic polyurethanes. Segmented morphology of surface as well as in bulk of aliphatic polyurethanes is evident from SEM and TEM images and grows with increasing HSC. In contrast, homogeneous and amorphous nature has been observed for aromatic PUs. In situ segregation of phases in aliphatic PUs have been captured through light transmittance and optical images which is categorically absent in aromatic polyurethane. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011

Nanostructure, key to property alteration, has been widely diverse by using two-dimensional nanoparticle in different stages of polymerization. Molecular level self-assembly starting from nanoscale 2-D molecular sheet to optically observable microscale crystallite has been unraveled stepwise for thermoplastic elastomer for the first time. The nature of self-assembly can be tuned by judicious choice of polymerization procedure in the presence of organically modified nanoclay. The effect of modulated nanostructure and self-assembly has been explored for the unusual property enhancement including electronic, thermal, mechanical, barrier, and biological (genotoxicity). Both the stiffness and toughness increase in nano-biohybrid without any trade-off. The unique splintering phenomenon and its variation under a dynamic frequency have been investigated by changing the synthesizing route of nanohybrids using a fixed concentration of nanoparticle. For understanding the controlled cellular responses to the implant ...

We report the step by step self-assembly from nanostructure to microstructure (bottom-up approach through X-ray diffraction (1.6 nm), small angle neutron scattering (SANS) (11.6 nm), atomic force microscopy (70 nm smaller crystallite from enlarged image and 450 nm greater crystallites), and polarizing optical microscope (2 microm)) of aliphatic polyurethanes (PU) in contrast to aromatic polyurethanes depending on hard segment content (HSC). Polyurethanes of 10 to 80% HSC have been synthesized by using appropriate amount of polyol and chain extender. The effect of self-assembled patterns on mechanical properties both in solid and liquid state has been established exhibiting structure-property relationship of supramolecular polyurethanes. The crystallinity enhances but the degradation temperature decreases with increasing HSC. The characteristic length (measure of gap between lamellar crystallites), as revealed from SANS, gradually decreases with increasing HSC suggesting compactness of the crystallites through extensive hydrogen bonding. The Young's modulus increases with increasing HSC with a percolation threshold of hard segment (50%) while the toughness improves up to 30% HSC followed by gradual decrease in presence of bigger crystallites which promote brittle fracture. The origin of self-assembly in aliphatic PUs has been demonstrated through electronic structure calculations to form a loop structure with minimum intermolecular distance (2.2 A) while that distance is quite large in aromatic polyurethanes (4.6 A) that cannot form hydrogen bonds. The unique splintering of domain structure and its subsequent reformation under dynamic shear experiment has been established.

Long-term in vitro stability of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) was studied for up to 52 weeks in phosphate buffer solution at 37, 55, and 80°C. Water uptake, molecular weights, and tensile properties were measured at regular intervals of 4, 8, 16, 32, and 52 weeks. The rate of molecular weight reduction increased with increasing temperature, and after 52 weeks at 80°C, all commercial polycarbonate (Bionate-55D, Quadrathane-80A, and Chronoflex-80A), poly(dimethylsiloxane) (ElastEon-2A) and polyether (Elasthane-55D) TPUs showed significant (43-51%) molecular weight (Mn ) reduction. The polyisobutylene (PIB)-based TPU exhibited a significantly lower decrease in Mn (26%) after 52 weeks at 80°C. For Bionate-55D and ElastEon-2A, at 80°C in dry nitrogen atmosphere substantial thermal degradation was observed, while for the other TPUs the effect of thermal degradation is small. The temperature dependent reduction of molecular weight was interpreted by simple second order kinetics. From the approximately linear Arrhenius plots the activation energies were calculated, which were highest for PIB-PU-020 and lowest for ElastEon-2A. For Elasthane-55D the in vitro molecular weight reduction was compared with that of explanted leads. The molecular weight reduction in vivo was much smaller than that predicted from in vitro data, which may suggest that the in vitro model does not adequately describe the hydrolysis in vivo. In the absence of validation for the other TPUs that in vitro methods closely reproduce in vivo degradation, it is unknown how these results correlate with in vivo performance.

TiO(2) nanoparticles of different phases play a key role in property alteration of nanocomposite fibers. Polycaprolactone (PCL)/TiO(2) composite fibers were prepared using the electrospinning method. Pure anatase and rutile phases were synthesized using the sol-gel route for nanocomposite synthesis. The Effect of nanoparticle phases on crystallinity of fibers and interaction with polymer molecules have been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, morphology through SEM, surface properties using BET method and wetting property of fibers commencing from contact angle measurement. Biocompatibility and biodegradation of hybrid materials have been studied in simulated body fluid (SBF) and phosphate buffer (PBS), respectively. The anatase phase with smaller particle dimensions exhibited significant improvement of most of the properties as compared to composites made of the rutile phase. Better interaction between polymer chain and anatase particle PCL-A nanocomposite fibers leads to better mechanical property and biocompatibility vis-à-vis PCL-R and pristine PCL fibers. Biocompatibility of PCL nanocomposite has been testified through proliferation of fibroblast cell and its adhesion; MTT (3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay demonstrates good proliferation rate for cells on PCL-A nanocomposite fibres.

Novel amphiphilic ABA-type poly(D-gluconamidoethyl methacrylate)-b-polyurethane-b-poly(D-gluconamidoethyl methacrylate) (PGAMA-b-PU-b-PGAMA) tri-block copolymers were successfully synthesized via the combination of the step-growth and copper-catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Dihydroxy polyurethane (HO-PU-OH) was synthesized by the step-growth polymerization of hexamethylene diisocyanate with poly(tetramethylene glycol). PGAMA-b-PU-b-PGAMA block copolymers were synthesized via copper-catalyzed ATRP of GAMA in N, N-dimethyl formamide at 20°C in the presence of 2, 2′-bipyridyl using Br-PU-Br as macroinitiator and characterized by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and GPC. The resulting block copolymer forms spherical micelles in water as observed in TEM study, and also supported by 1H NMR spectroscopy and light scattering. Miceller size increases with increase in hydrophilic PGAMA chain length as revealed by DLS study. The critical micellar concentration values of the resulting block copolymers increased with the increase of the chain length of the PGAMA block. Thermal properties of these block copolymers were studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetric study. Spherical Ag-nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using these block copolymers as stabilizer. The dimension of Ag nanoparticle was tailored by altering the chain length of the hydrophilic block of the copolymer. A mechanism has been proposed for the formation of stable and regulated Ag nanoparticle using various chain length of hydrophilic PGAMA block of the tri-block copolymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Structural variation and its effect on the properties of aromatic polyurethanes (PUs) with different chain structures have been reported. Polarized optical microscopic studies of aromatic PUs demonstrate the development of micro clusters with increasing hard segment content (HSC). Higher crystallinity has also been proven from differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. A globular pattern has been observed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the pattern depends on the type of diisocyanate used to prepare the PU. The difference in surface morphology is evident for two different PUs. The tensile modulus increases systematically with increasing HSC while toughness decreases, due to the presence of bigger crystallites in higher HSC polymer. Both the modulus and toughness vary on the type of diisocyanate present in PUs.

Sulfonated polyurethanes (SPU) were used as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acidic solution. The sulfonation of the > N-H groups of the urethane linkages was confirmed from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. The inhibition efficiency of sulfonated polyurethanes, prepared from two different routes, was investigated using different techniques. The effects of microstructure of polyurethane (PU), degree of sulfonation, time of immersion and temperature on the inhibition of corrosion were discussed. The disc-like nanoparticles, so-called nanoclay, either suspended or chemically attached to SPU chains (nanocomposites) dramatically enhanced the inhibition efficiency for mild steel in acidic medium. All the inhibitors retard the corrosion rate by getting themselves adsorbed on the corroding surface by following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The surface analysis of inhibited and uninhibited samples was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Among the various inhibitors used, the nanocomposite of polyurethane was the most effective. Molecular modeling helped in determining the extent of packing of the SPU chains leading to better inhibition efficiency.

A series of polyurethane (PU) ionomers with different degree of sulfonation (DS) have been synthesized and successfully used as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel (MS) in acidic medium. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectra of the sulfonated PUs confirmed the sulfonation on the >NH group of the urethane linkage and DS increases with the increase in the ratio of the sulfonating agent and PU. More than 90% inhibition efficiency (IE) of sulfonated polyurethanes (SPU) has been reported using only 20 ppm of the ionomers. These ionomers inhibited the corrosion of MS through adsorption following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Surface coverage has been scaled using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effect of sulfonation on the electronic and chemical structure of PU molecules has also been investigated. Electronic structure calculations have been performed to predict the adsorption behavior of ionomers on the metal surface, and thereby, the relative inhibition has been quantitatively correlated with DS.