A novel poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (ABS) antistatic and flame-retardant agent, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate/methyl methacrylate/diethyl allylphosphonate (PMMD), was synthesized from poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, and diethyl allylphosphonate by free-radical precipitation polymerization in the aqueous phase to improve the antistatic and flame-retardant performance at the same time. Through adjustments of the molar ratios of the three monomers, various antistatic, flame-retardant copolymers (PMMD) were synthesized. The molecular structure and thermal stability of PMMD were analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The electrical resistivity and flame-retardant and mechanical properties of the ABS/PMMD composites were analyzed by a ZC90 megohmmeter, an oxygen index meter, a vertical burning tester, a memory impact testing machine, and a tensile testing machine. The morphology of PMMD in the ABS blends was characterized with scanning electron microscopy. The compatibilities of PMMD and ABS were characterized by the calculation of the thermodynamic work of adhesion via the measurement of the contact angle. The results show that the antistatic and flame-retardant performance of ABS were greatly improved by the PMMD copolymer and the mechanical properties of ABS showed little reduction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44126.

This study described an approach to impart controlled morphology and improved pore interconnectivity to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) sponges for oil sorption by partially fusing the sugar particles together prior to creation of a continuous PDMS matrix. PDMS sponges with high absorption capacity, low water pickup, and remarkable reusability were fabricated by the polymerization of the PDMS prepolymer and a curing agent in cyclohexane. The PDMS sponge showed oil absorbency in the range from 790% to 4000% for various oils solvents, with the maximum absorption capacity reaching up to 23 times of its weight. Compressive modulus of PDMS subjected to sugar fusion for 24 hr was significantly increased to 1900 Mpa. The sponge also exhibited excellent repellency to corrosive strong acid and alkali. Besides, oil can be quickly adsorbed in tens of seconds and maintained for several months. Furthermore, PDMS sponges showed little loss of their absorption capacities and owned weights after 20 absorbing/recovering cycles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) foam composite was modified by glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) innovative and prepared by sheet molding method with foaming agent azodicarbon amide (AC) and crosslinking agent bis-tert-butylperoxy diisopropylbenzene (BIPB). The properties of PVC/TPU foam composites effected by GMA content were investigated by the density, impact, tensile, and flexible test. The experiment indicated that with the addition of GMA, the impact strength tensile strength and flexible modulus were firstly rose to maximum at a fast rate and then decreased slightly. The properties significantly increased at a low content of modifier GMA. The results observed by differential scanning calorimetry indicated that new crosslinking network between PVC and TUP formed after the addition of GMA. The foam quality and cell morphology were studied by SEM and then statistics. With the addition of 0.6 phr BIPB and 0.5 phr GMA, the cell size of PVC/TPU composite is 80–130 μm and cell wall is 10–15 μm. Furthermore, the cells have more uniform distribution and fewer collapse when compared with the material without GMA. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1716–1722, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

A new corn starch adhesive modified by starch-g-polyvinyl acetate (starch-g-PVAc) and epoxy resin is described in this study. Starch-g-PVAc is used as high cohesive energy component to improve the dry shear strength of the starch adhesive. Although the epoxy resin, which can easily crosslink with the oxidized starch, is used as water-resistant component to improve the wet shear strength. Because there is no chemical reaction happening between polyvinyl acetate and epoxy resin, both the dry shear strength and the wet shear strength of the corn starch adhesive are notably increased. Considering all the related factors, the optimum of the modification is achieved when the dosage of starch-g-PVAc and epoxy resin is 70% of the oxidized starch latex with m(Ep): m(starch-g-PVAc) = 1:2. That is, the epoxy resin is 23% in mass fraction and starch-g-PVAc 47% in mass fraction. The dry shear strength is 4.50 MPa, and the wet shear strength is 2.51 MPa. The modified corn starch has a broad prospect in the application of plywood industry. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

Influence of heat treatment and fillers on the heat distortion temperature (HDT) of poly(lactic acid) hybrid biocomposites was intensively studied through HDT testing, polarizing microscope (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). With loading 20 wt % BF or 20 wt % talc, improvement of HDT in PLA composite was about 10°C comparing with neat PLA after heat treatment. Moreover, there was a great improvement (above 45°C) of HDT in PLA composites with loading 20 wt % BF and 20 wt % talc simultaneously after heat treatment. Transcrystallization was observed during heat treatment and isothermal crystallization of PLA composites with loading BF and talc simultaneously. There was no similar phenomenon in other PLA composite with loading only one filler. The possible mechanism of forming transcrystallization was proposed. DSC and DMA were also used to clarify the variation in HDT before and after heat treatment, and the results suggest that the crystallinity, modulus and glass transition changed, especially formation of transcrystallization played a key role in improvement of HDT in PLA composites. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

The oxidative chemical polymerization of 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) was conducted at room temperature in the presence of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) as the doping agent, sodium supersulphate (Na₂S₂O₈) and ferric sulphate(Fe₂(SO₄)₃) as the compound oxidant and deionized water as the solvent. In order to remove sodium ion (Na⁺), ferric ion (Fe³⁺), and sulfate ion (SO4²⁻), certain amount of ion exchanger was added after 24 h, the dark blue poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDT)/PSS solution was obtained. The influence of different proportions of EDOT and PSS, different proportions of EDOT and the compound oxidant, different stirring rates on the morphology, and surface resistivity were discussed. The influence of pH value of the PEDT/PSS solution, the coating thickness, and soak time on the surface resistivity was investigated. Recipe and experimental conditions were optimized and the PEDT/PSS solution was obtained with excellent performance which has relatively low in surface resistance, good water tolerance, and light transmittance. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

A novel antistatic agent poly(ether-ester-amide) (PEEA) based on caprolactam, polyethylene glycol, and 6-aminocaproic acid was successfully synthesized by melting polycondensation. The structure, thermal properties, and antistatic ability of the copolymer were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyses, and ZC36 megohmmeter. Test results show that PEEA is a block copolymer with a melting point of 217°C and a thermal decomposition temperature of 409°C, together with a surface resistivity of 10⁸ Ω/sq. Antistatic poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (ABS) materials were prepared by blending different content of PEEA to ABS resin. The antistatic performances, morphology, and mechanical properties were investigated. It is indicated that the surface resistivity of PEEA/ABS blends decrease with the increasing PEEA content, and the excellent antistatic performance is obtained when the antistatic agent is up to 10–15%. The antistatic performance is hardly influenced by water-washing and relative humidity, and a permanent antistatic performance is available. The antistatic mechanism is investigated. The compatibility of the blends was studied by scanning electron microscopy images. The ladder distribution of antistatic agent is formed, and a rich phase of antistatic agent can be found in the surface layer. The elongations at break of the blend are improved with the increasing antistatic agent; the tensile strength and the notched impact strength kept almost the same. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.

Three kinds of reactive toughening agents of bamboo plastic composites are studied in this article. The bio-fiber keeps high polarity for the hydroxyl groups of the surface, while polypropylene (PP) matrix resin phase is nonpolar. So, the interfacial compatibility between matrix and enhanced phase is poor. The anhydride in maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene can react with the hydroxyls. A large number of hydroxyl groups on the fiber surface are reduced, and the interfacial bond strength is improved. Three reactive toughening agents: glycidyl methacrylate grafted poly(ethylene-1-octene), maleic anhydride grafted poly(ethylene-octene), and poly(ethylene-butylacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) are chosen to improve the impact toughness. The mechanical properties, compatibility, phase structure, water absorption, and thermal properties of PP blends are all investigated. When the content of toughening agents are controlled between 6% and 8%, not only the impact strength is greatly improved but also the other properties of PP are less affected, which makes the composites with comprehensive and practical applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers

Modified polypropylene was prepared by blending with potassium titanate whisker (PTW) and 10 w/w% talc via Haake extruder followed by injection molding. Reinforced with both PTW and talc, the PP composites exhibited better mechanical properties. The tensile modulus and flexural modulus of PP composites tend to increase with the increasing of whisker concentrations. The talc plays a synergistic role in improving the mechanical properties of composites and reducing cost. Torque measurement shows the PP composites has a good processing condition due to lubrication of PTW. TGA test shows PP composites containing 20 w/w% PTW and 10 w/w% talc is useful for improving PP composite's thermo oxidative stability. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010

Poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDT/PSS) composite is prepared by solution polymerization at room temperature in the presence of 3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene as the monomer, PSS as the doping agent, potassium supersulfate (KPS) as the oxidant, and deionized water as the solvent. The color of the PEDT/PSS solution is dark blue and its solid content is 2.2%, its pH value is 1.5. By mixing alcohols, polar organic solvents, adhesives, and so on into PEDT/PSS solution, the anti-static coating solution is prepared. The coating is conducted by bar-coating (20 µm) at 40% relative humidity and 20°C. The influence of the content of each component on the coating surface resistivity is discussed, and a reasonable volume content of each component is obtained. The obtained coating has low surface resistivity (1 × 10⁶ Ω), excellent water resistance, and high transmittance of visible light together with a wide range of potential applications. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.