A simple and efficient procedure has been developed to fabricate ZnO nanofibers with dendritic structure via electrospinning and subsequent calcination. The spinning solution is prepared by mixing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and zinc acetate into methanol. From SEM images, it can be observed that the ZnO product has a tendency of dendritic structure. The diameter of the dendritic branch is ∼137 nm. The structure and physicochemical property of the prepared nanofibers are elucidated by TGA, SEM, XRD, FTIR, and PL, respectively. The photoluminescene measurement of the ZnO samples exhibit a broad visible emission band concentrate on around 430–580 nm. Meanwhile, the intensity is related to the content of surface oxygen vacancies, which probably influence photocatalytic activity of ZnO samples. Whereafter, the photocatalytical activity of the ZnO nanofibers is evaluated by quantifying the degradation of methyl blue. The result indicates that ZnO nanofibers annealed at 650°C show an excellent photocatalytic activity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41627.

To better use the waste nameko mushroom substrate (WNMS) and prevent its pollution into the environment, a novel superabsorbent polymer was synthesized via the UV irradiation copolymerization of acrylic acid and WNMS in the presence of an initiator (dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone and ammonium persulfate) and crosslinker N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide. The factors that had an influence on the water absorbency of the superabsorbent polymer were investigated and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, WNMS–poly(acrylic acid) was obtained. Its swelling behaviors, which followed the pseudo-second-order swelling kinetic model, were investigated in distilled water (1701 g/g) and a 0.9 wt % NaCl solution (388 g/g). The water absorbency was 1011 g/g in a 0.1 wt % urea solution and 80% amount of urea diffused into the gels. The urea diffusion followed a Fickian diffusion mechanism. Moreover, the product showed excellent water retention capabilities under the condition of high temperature or high pressure. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40471.

A simple procedure is reported for the fabrication of TiO₂ nanofibers via electrospinning technique using polylactic acid (PLA), tetrabutyl titanate, and hexafluoroisopropanol as a spinning solution. TiO₂ nanofibers (600–700 nm in diameter), with bundled nanofibrils align in the fiber direction, are obtained from the calcination of the as-spun TiO₂/PLA composite nanofibers at 550°C. The structure and physicochemical property of generated nanofibers are elucidated by Fourier transform-Infrared radiation spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and Thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, respectively. The photocatalytical activity of the TiO₂ nanofibers is testified by quantifying the degradation of methylene orange. The result indicates that the TiO₂ nanofibers with pure anatase phase, which are prepared at 550°C, shows an excellent photocatalytic activity. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

A novel superabsorbent polymer composite was successfully synthesized from waste material cultured Auricularia auricula (WMCAA) and poly (acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) (P(AA-co-AM)) using microwave irradiation. Optimal synthesis conditions were determined by investigating the water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite. The effects associated with weight ratios of WMCAA, acrylamide (AM) monomers, initiators, and acrylic acid (AA) crosslinkers, as well as the degree of neutralization of AA were examined. The maximum water absorbencies were found to be 1548 g/g (distilled water) and 72 g/g (0.9% NaCl solution). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was applied to determine the molecular structure of the superabsorbent composite, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to demonstrate the characteristic compact and porous structure of the material. Further studies conducted via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the formation of a novel interpenetrating polymer network structure. Thermogravimetry/differential thermal (TG/DTG) analysis demonstrated improved thermal stability in the composite material compared with WMCAA. Additionally, high water absorption rates observed in the polymer during the swelling process indicated first-order kinetics. The water absorption and adsorption of the superabsorbent composite were studied in a variety of fertilizer solutions, revealing an indirect relationship between water absorbing ability and fertilizer concentration. Conversely, a direct relationship was observed between absorbed fertilizer and fertilizer concentration. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3674–3681, 2013

Poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone-diOH) (PCLA) with (ABA)_n type is synthesized using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) di-OH (PCL-diOH) via chain extending method. FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, and GPC data demonstrate that PLA and PCL-diOH have reacted completely. The product is electrospun into ultrafine fibers subsequently. The optimum electrospinning parameters obtain from an orthogonal experiment are a solvent ratio (DMF/DCM) of 5/5, a polymer concentration of 28 wt %, a collector distance of 20 cm and a voltage of 18 kV. As a result, the average diameter of fibers is 0.77 µm and the uniformity is above 80%. Via range analysis, it is found that the order of the influence on diameter is solvent ratio, applied voltage, collector distance, and polymer concentration, successively. Single effect of the four governing factors on diameter and morphology is also experimentally investigated. This may provide clues for obtaining fibers with various structures by controlling the parameters. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3600–3610, 2013

Molecular imprinted polymer microspheres (MIPs) were prepared by precipitation polymerization using melamine as template molecule, methacrylic acid (MAA) as functional monomer, trimethylol-propane trimethacrylate (TRIM) as crosslinking agent, acetonitrile as solvent and dispersion medium. Release of the template was performed by continuous extraction with methanol containing 10% acetic acid. The microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The perfect microspheres were produced when the addition of crosslinker was 7.48 mmol. The binding capacity of MIPs was examined, Q_max = 68.36 μmol g⁻¹, and the dissociation constant at binding site of MIPs, K_d = 0.761, was estimated. Compared with the performance of conventional imprinted polymer, the imprinted microspheres showed high selectivity in special binding to template molecule. The imprinted microspheres could be used as the stationary phase in HPLC or SPE for selective extraction of melamine in daily products. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011