Pub Date : 2026-03-24DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129899
Jie Jiang, Huaying Sun, Chengjian Li, Guoxiang Pan, Chunyan Lv, Jingwei Sun
Electrochromic supercapacitors (ECSCs) are an emerging integrated system that combine optical modulation with energy storage, enabling their potential application in smart wearable electronics and energy-efficient buildings. However, conventional conjugated polymers face challenges in achieving optimal energy storage capacity while maintaining superior electrochromic performance, primarily owing to inefficient electrochemical kinetics at the electrode–electrolyte interface and the mismatch between ion transport and electronic conductivity. This study presents two triarylamine (TPA)-based donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) polymers p(BTPA-bpy) and p(BTPA-CHO), with an intrinsically ionic acceptor and a sterically hindered neutral acceptor, respectively, to regulate charge transport pathways and capacitive behaviors for achieving high-performance ECSCs. In p(BTPA-bpy), TPA units are linked to bipyridinium salts, which form conjugated backbones for efficient electron transport after TPA polymerization, along with built-in salts to provide pathways for ion mobility, enabling effective charge redistribution during electrochemical reactions and fast concurrent electron/ion conduction within a single polymer. In p(BTPA-CHO), the steric hindrance from the multi-substituted benzene bearing the aldehyde forces a highly twisted conformation, which promotes a porous polymer network during electropolymerization and thereby accelerates ion diffusion. The ionic feature in p(BTPA-bpy) and the porous morphology of p(BTPA-CHO) lead to surface-controlled capacitive behavior and partially diffusion-control processes, respectively. Consequently, though p(BTPA-CHO) exhibits superior electrochromic performance, including high optical contrast (79%), large coloring efficiency (365 cm2/C), and better cyclic stability, its area-specific capacitance is relatively small. By contrast, p(BTPA-bpy) achieves a high area-specific capacitance of 11.6 mF/cm2 at a current density of 0.15 mA/cm2, rapid optical switching (1 s for tc and 0.4 s for tb), and satisfactory contrast (57%). Furthermore, the p(BTPA-bpy)-based ECSC device exhibits a high area-specific capacitance of 2.8 mF/cm2 and excellent cycling stability (85.5% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm2). These results indicate that the embedded ion-pair design offers an effective strategy for optimizing the performance of ECSC devices.
{"title":"Ionic versus Steric: Regulating Charge Transport in D–A–D Polymers for Tailored Electrochromic and Capacitive Behaviors","authors":"Jie Jiang, Huaying Sun, Chengjian Li, Guoxiang Pan, Chunyan Lv, Jingwei Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129899","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129899","url":null,"abstract":"Electrochromic supercapacitors (ECSCs) are an emerging integrated system that combine optical modulation with energy storage, enabling their potential application in smart wearable electronics and energy-efficient buildings. However, conventional conjugated polymers face challenges in achieving optimal energy storage capacity while maintaining superior electrochromic performance, primarily owing to inefficient electrochemical kinetics at the electrode–electrolyte interface and the mismatch between ion transport and electronic conductivity. This study presents two triarylamine (TPA)-based donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) polymers p(BTPA-bpy) and p(BTPA-CHO), with an intrinsically ionic acceptor and a sterically hindered neutral acceptor, respectively, to regulate charge transport pathways and capacitive behaviors for achieving high-performance ECSCs. In p(BTPA-bpy), TPA units are linked to bipyridinium salts, which form conjugated backbones for efficient electron transport after TPA polymerization, along with built-in salts to provide pathways for ion mobility, enabling effective charge redistribution during electrochemical reactions and fast concurrent electron/ion conduction within a single polymer. In p(BTPA-CHO), the steric hindrance from the multi-substituted benzene bearing the aldehyde forces a highly twisted conformation, which promotes a porous polymer network during electropolymerization and thereby accelerates ion diffusion. The ionic feature in p(BTPA-bpy) and the porous morphology of p(BTPA-CHO) lead to surface-controlled capacitive behavior and partially diffusion-control processes, respectively. Consequently, though p(BTPA-CHO) exhibits superior electrochromic performance, including high optical contrast (79%), large coloring efficiency (365 cm<sup>2</sup>/C), and better cyclic stability, its area-specific capacitance is relatively small. By contrast, p(BTPA-bpy) achieves a high area-specific capacitance of 11.6 mF/cm<sup>2</sup> at a current density of 0.15 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, rapid optical switching (1 s for t<sub>c</sub> and 0.4 s for t<sub>b</sub>), and satisfactory contrast (57%). Furthermore, the p(BTPA-bpy)-based ECSC device exhibits a high area-specific capacitance of 2.8 mF/cm<sup>2</sup> and excellent cycling stability (85.5% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at a current density of 0.5 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>). These results indicate that the embedded ion-pair design offers an effective strategy for optimizing the performance of ECSC devices.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147501873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129889
Zhenxin Lei, Xiaoling Chen, Haiyan DU
Stretchable sensors based on conductive hydrogel are gradually emerging as a new generation of candidates for wearable electronic devices in human health monitoring. However, conventional conductive hydrogels suffer from poor electrical conductivity and bio-adhesion, which severely limit their practical applications. Inspired by a mussel-based strategy, this study combines a porous zeolitic imidazolium material (ZIF-8) with a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), to prepare multifunctional conductive fillers (ZIF@PDA-PEDOT nanoparticles) with a core-shell structure, using dopamine (PDA) as a "bridge". Subsequently, the nanoparticles were added to a mixed matrix of anionic acrylic acid (AA) and cationic methyl acryloyl oxygen ethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) to prepare the zwitterionic polymer hydrogel ZIF@PDA-PEDOT/P(AA-co-DMC) (ZDEP hydrogel). The conductive hydrogel has good electrical conductivity (0.981 S/m), mechanical properties (545%, 0.189 MPa), and adhesion (0.536 MPa). Assembled into flexible sensors with a measurement factor of 4.98. It boasts high sensitivity and accuracy, as well as a wide testing range, making it ideal for human health monitoring (EMG, ECG), motion monitoring (micro-expression, vocal cord vibration, and robotic control). This hydrogel design has great potential for applications in flexible wearable electronics and human-machine interaction.
{"title":"Mussel-inspired Self-adhesive Flexible Strain Sensor with High Sensitivity, Tunable Mechanical Performance and Conductivity Based on ZIF@PDA-PEDOT/P(AA-co-DMC) Conductive Hydrogel","authors":"Zhenxin Lei, Xiaoling Chen, Haiyan DU","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129889","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129889","url":null,"abstract":"Stretchable sensors based on conductive hydrogel are gradually emerging as a new generation of candidates for wearable electronic devices in human health monitoring. However, conventional conductive hydrogels suffer from poor electrical conductivity and bio-adhesion, which severely limit their practical applications. Inspired by a mussel-based strategy, this study combines a porous zeolitic imidazolium material (ZIF-8) with a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), to prepare multifunctional conductive fillers (ZIF@PDA-PEDOT nanoparticles) with a core-shell structure, using dopamine (PDA) as a \"bridge\". Subsequently, the nanoparticles were added to a mixed matrix of anionic acrylic acid (AA) and cationic methyl acryloyl oxygen ethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) to prepare the zwitterionic polymer hydrogel ZIF@PDA-PEDOT/P(AA-co-DMC) (ZDEP hydrogel). The conductive hydrogel has good electrical conductivity (0.981 S/m), mechanical properties (545%, 0.189 MPa), and adhesion (0.536 MPa). Assembled into flexible sensors with a measurement factor of 4.98. It boasts high sensitivity and accuracy, as well as a wide testing range, making it ideal for human health monitoring (EMG, ECG), motion monitoring (micro-expression, vocal cord vibration, and robotic control). This hydrogel design has great potential for applications in flexible wearable electronics and human-machine interaction.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"306 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147501874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129893
Jie Cheng, Peifeng Jiao, Bin Wang, Jinbo Liu, Gensheng Wu, Yuan Tian, Zhonghua Ni, Gutian Zhao
The development of high-performance biodegradable fibers to assist ligament regeneration represents a prominent area of investigation within sports medicine repair. However, existing materials frequently encounter challenges related to the deterioration of mechanical properties under cyclic loading conditions encountered in practical applications, thereby significantly limiting their clinical applicability. Herein, oriented Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) monofilaments are prepared via an orientation forming process to address the critical issue of insufficient reliability in ligament repair. The PLLA monofilaments exhibited high breaking strength (∼550 MPa) and high modulus (∼9 GPA), and their mechanical performance was systematically evaluated through cyclic loading experiments simulating service conditions. The fatigue damage mechanisms at varying strain levels were revealed by integrating uniaxial tension, energy dissipation analysis and morphological characterization. These findings indicate that high strain cycling loading of oriented monofilaments may induce molecular chains extension within the amorphous region and the slip of crystal lamellae. Furthermore, cycling within the stress-hardening zone results in the elimination of the nonlinear plastic deformation zone. The observation suggests that mechanical behavior and structural transformations across different regions involve processes of chain relaxation and lamellar slip. This research quantitatively illustrates the coupling mechanism between cyclic strain and mechanical response from the perspective of energy and microstructure evolution. These findings provide experimental reference and basis for the service life prediction and reliability design of degradable artificial ligaments.
{"title":"Effect of Different Cyclic Loading Strains on the Mechanical Behavior of Strong Poly (L-lactic acid) Monofilaments for Ligament Repair","authors":"Jie Cheng, Peifeng Jiao, Bin Wang, Jinbo Liu, Gensheng Wu, Yuan Tian, Zhonghua Ni, Gutian Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129893","url":null,"abstract":"The development of high-performance biodegradable fibers to assist ligament regeneration represents a prominent area of investigation within sports medicine repair. However, existing materials frequently encounter challenges related to the deterioration of mechanical properties under cyclic loading conditions encountered in practical applications, thereby significantly limiting their clinical applicability. Herein, oriented Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) monofilaments are prepared via an orientation forming process to address the critical issue of insufficient reliability in ligament repair. The PLLA monofilaments exhibited high breaking strength (∼550 MPa) and high modulus (∼9 GPA), and their mechanical performance was systematically evaluated through cyclic loading experiments simulating service conditions. The fatigue damage mechanisms at varying strain levels were revealed by integrating uniaxial tension, energy dissipation analysis and morphological characterization. These findings indicate that high strain cycling loading of oriented monofilaments may induce molecular chains extension within the amorphous region and the slip of crystal lamellae. Furthermore, cycling within the stress-hardening zone results in the elimination of the nonlinear plastic deformation zone. The observation suggests that mechanical behavior and structural transformations across different regions involve processes of chain relaxation and lamellar slip. This research quantitatively illustrates the coupling mechanism between cyclic strain and mechanical response from the perspective of energy and microstructure evolution. These findings provide experimental reference and basis for the service life prediction and reliability design of degradable artificial ligaments.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147501875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-23DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129895
Stiliyana Stoyanova, Oumayma Mlida, Antonio Da Costa, Anthony Ferri, Evgeni Ivanov, Rumiana Kotsilkova, Fahmi Bedoui
{"title":"Synergistic effects of graphene nanoplatelets/multi-walled carbon nanotubes hybrids and thermal annealing on crystalline phase transition and properties of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibers","authors":"Stiliyana Stoyanova, Oumayma Mlida, Antonio Da Costa, Anthony Ferri, Evgeni Ivanov, Rumiana Kotsilkova, Fahmi Bedoui","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129895","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129895","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147501880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Surfactants play a crucial role in stabilizing emulsions, facilitating polymerization, and controlling the morphology of polymeric materials, with a large number of uses in engineering, biomedical sciences, and environmental technology. However, the development of efficient, non-fluorinated, and multifunctional surfactants remains a challenge in sustainable materials science. In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of an amphiphilic, non-fluorinated copolymeric surfactant, poly(methacrylic acid-random-7-methacryloyloxycoumarin) [poly(MAA-r-CMMA)] (P10S), which possesses critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 0.009 mg mL-1. The amphiphilic nature of P10S enabled spontaneous self-assembly into nanoscale micelles, forming a core-shell structure with a diameter of ∼31 nm. This versatile surfactant facilitates the emulsion polymerization of several water-insoluble monomers, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), methyl acrylate (MA), and styrene (St), yielding narrowly dispersed spherical polymer particles with sizes of 0.662 0.122 μm (PMMA), 1.7 0.3 μm (PMA), and 1.72 0.07 μm (PSt). The findings highlight P10S as a potential next-generation amphiphilic surfactant, offering a non-fluorinated, sustainable alternative for polymer synthesis. The fluorescent activity of the P10S copolymer extends its applications beyond emulsion polymerization, enabling the design of multifunctional nanomaterials, particularly for biomedical applications, high-performance coatings, and advanced self-assembled systems. Future investigations will focus on tuning the polymer architecture for stimuli-responsive, bio-compatible, and high-performance applications, paving the way for greener and more versatile polymeric materials in cutting-edge technologies.
{"title":"Non-fluorinated Polymeric Surfactant for Efficient Emulsion Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate, Methyl Acrylate, and Styrene","authors":"Swarup Maity, Bhanendra Sahu, Nishikanta Singh, Sanjib Banerjee","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129858","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129858","url":null,"abstract":"Surfactants play a crucial role in stabilizing emulsions, facilitating polymerization, and controlling the morphology of polymeric materials, with a large number of uses in engineering, biomedical sciences, and environmental technology. However, the development of efficient, non-fluorinated, and multifunctional surfactants remains a challenge in sustainable materials science. In this study, we report the synthesis and characterization of an amphiphilic, non-fluorinated copolymeric surfactant, poly(methacrylic acid-<em>random</em>-7-methacryloyloxycoumarin) [poly(MAA-<em>r</em>-CMMA)] (P10S), which possesses critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 0.009 mg mL<sup>-1</sup>. The amphiphilic nature of P10S enabled spontaneous self-assembly into nanoscale micelles, forming a core-shell structure with a diameter of ∼31 nm. This versatile surfactant facilitates the emulsion polymerization of several water-insoluble monomers, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), methyl acrylate (MA), and styrene (St), yielding narrowly dispersed spherical polymer particles with sizes of 0.662 <span><span><math></math></span><script type=\"math/mml\"><math></math></script></span> 0.122 μm (PMMA), 1.7 <span><span><math></math></span><script type=\"math/mml\"><math></math></script></span> 0.3 μm (PMA), and 1.72 <span><span><math></math></span><script type=\"math/mml\"><math></math></script></span> 0.07 μm (PSt). The findings highlight P10S as a potential next-generation amphiphilic surfactant, offering a non-fluorinated, sustainable alternative for polymer synthesis. The fluorescent activity of the P10S copolymer extends its applications beyond emulsion polymerization, enabling the design of multifunctional nanomaterials, particularly for biomedical applications, high-performance coatings, and advanced self-assembled systems. Future investigations will focus on tuning the polymer architecture for stimuli-responsive, bio-compatible, and high-performance applications, paving the way for greener and more versatile polymeric materials in cutting-edge technologies.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147492603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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