Pub Date : 2026-03-17DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129860
Jianjian Huang, Maoyuan Li, Haokun Xiao, Jingting Deng, Xianrong Liang, Mengmeng Wang, Guancheng Shen, Gang Jin
Poly(vinyl chloride) gel (PVCG) actuators have shown great potential in soft robotics, but their actuation performance at low voltages is limited. This study presents an ionic poly(vinyl chloride) gel (iPVCG), which incorporates the ionic liquid 1,2-di-O-octadecenyl-3-trimethylammonium (DOTMA) to improve actuation performance. The unique structure of DOTMA, with a large cation and small anion, promotes asymmetric ion diffusion, which is crucial for enhancing the electrochemical properties of the material. Experimental results confirm that DOTMA is uniformly dispersed within the gel matrix, leading to a 4.25-fold increase in dielectric constant and a 42% reduction in tensile modulus. Impedance spectroscopy further reveals a 22% reduction in ohmic resistance and a 95% increase in the charge storage capacity of the ionic double layer, contributing to these improvements. These material enhancements translate to a 37% increase in maximum displacement and a 64% increase in recovery force in iPVCG actuators compared to PVCG. Additionally, iPVCG actuators exhibit stable performance, with less than 13% displacement decay after 1500 continuous cycles. This work not only provides new insights into the ionic liquid-mediated impedance modulation in iPVCG but also offers a promising material design strategy for next-generation soft actuators requiring large displacement and high recovery forces.
{"title":"Ionic Liquid-Mediated Impedance Modulation for Enhanced Actuation Performance in iPVCG Stacked Actuators","authors":"Jianjian Huang, Maoyuan Li, Haokun Xiao, Jingting Deng, Xianrong Liang, Mengmeng Wang, Guancheng Shen, Gang Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129860","url":null,"abstract":"Poly(vinyl chloride) gel (PVCG) actuators have shown great potential in soft robotics, but their actuation performance at low voltages is limited. This study presents an ionic poly(vinyl chloride) gel (iPVCG), which incorporates the ionic liquid 1,2-di-O-octadecenyl-3-trimethylammonium (DOTMA) to improve actuation performance. The unique structure of DOTMA, with a large cation and small anion, promotes asymmetric ion diffusion, which is crucial for enhancing the electrochemical properties of the material. Experimental results confirm that DOTMA is uniformly dispersed within the gel matrix, leading to a 4.25-fold increase in dielectric constant and a 42% reduction in tensile modulus. Impedance spectroscopy further reveals a 22% reduction in ohmic resistance and a 95% increase in the charge storage capacity of the ionic double layer, contributing to these improvements. These material enhancements translate to a 37% increase in maximum displacement and a 64% increase in recovery force in iPVCG actuators compared to PVCG. Additionally, iPVCG actuators exhibit stable performance, with less than 13% displacement decay after 1500 continuous cycles. This work not only provides new insights into the ionic liquid-mediated impedance modulation in iPVCG but also offers a promising material design strategy for next-generation soft actuators requiring large displacement and high recovery forces.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"197 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147477982","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 : 2026-03-17DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129863
Jiacheng Yu, Shuhong Jiang, Jieting Geng, Zhaoge Huang, Lin Xia
The development of water-swelling rubbers (WSR) that simultaneously possess rapid absorption, a high swelling ratio, and robust mechanical properties remains a significant challenge. To address this challenge, we developed a novel ionic crosslinking strategy to fabricate high-performance WSR composites. Utilizing carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) as the matrix, sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) as the absorbent, and magnesium hydroxide as a multifunctional crosslinker, we successfully constructed a dynamic ionic network. This network not only confers outstanding mechanical properties, but also enables a remarkably fast swelling rate. In deionized water, the optimal composite (8 phr Mg(OH)2) achieves a six-fold weight gain and a seven-fold volume expansion, reaching this swollen state within only 8.5 hours. A key innovation of this work lies in the material's exceptional closed-loop recyclability. The ionic bonds, which are stable during service, can be selectively cleaved under mild conditions, allowing for the efficient reclamation of the XNBR matrix. Remarkably, the recycled rubber can be re-vulcanized into new WSR, with the resulting material exhibiting performance that surpasses that of the virgin rubber-based counterpart in key metrics such as tensile strength and crosslink density. This work demonstrates a viable and sustainable design strategy for high-performance WSR, highlighting a promising path for creating recyclable elastomers applicable in harsh saline environments like oilfield and mining engineering.
{"title":"Dual Networks Enable Closed-Loop Recyclable Water-Swelling Rubber with Superior Swelling Capacity and Mechanical Properties","authors":"Jiacheng Yu, Shuhong Jiang, Jieting Geng, Zhaoge Huang, Lin Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129863","url":null,"abstract":"The development of water-swelling rubbers (WSR) that simultaneously possess rapid absorption, a high swelling ratio, and robust mechanical properties remains a significant challenge. To address this challenge, we developed a novel ionic crosslinking strategy to fabricate high-performance WSR composites. Utilizing carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) as the matrix, sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) as the absorbent, and magnesium hydroxide as a multifunctional crosslinker, we successfully constructed a dynamic ionic network. This network not only confers outstanding mechanical properties, but also enables a remarkably fast swelling rate. In deionized water, the optimal composite (8 phr Mg(OH)<sub>2</sub>) achieves a six-fold weight gain and a seven-fold volume expansion, reaching this swollen state within only 8.5 hours. A key innovation of this work lies in the material's exceptional closed-loop recyclability. The ionic bonds, which are stable during service, can be selectively cleaved under mild conditions, allowing for the efficient reclamation of the XNBR matrix. Remarkably, the recycled rubber can be re-vulcanized into new WSR, with the resulting material exhibiting performance that surpasses that of the virgin rubber-based counterpart in key metrics such as tensile strength and crosslink density. This work demonstrates a viable and sustainable design strategy for high-performance WSR, highlighting a promising path for creating recyclable elastomers applicable in harsh saline environments like oilfield and mining engineering.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147471602","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}
The rapid development of intelligent wearable devices increases the need for materials that provide effective thermal management and electromagnetic shielding, yet integrating rapid thermal response, sustained heat buffering, and electromagnetic protection within a flexible membrane remains challenging. Phase change materials offer latent heat storage, but their integration with functional fillers is hindered by limited flexibility and weak interfacial adhesion, which disrupts functional layer continuity and diminishes performance. Here, we construct a paraffin wax@polyvinylidene fluoride (PP) fibrous membrane with an organic-inorganic Polyaniline/MXene (PANI/MXene) hybrid coating. PANI forms a flexible and hydrophilic surface that facilitates the uniform deposition and interfacial integration of MXene nanosheets, enabling the formation of a continuous conductive network. This hybrid coating enables rapid photothermal heating, efficient Joule heating, and strong electromagnetic shielding. With a latent heat storage capability provided by the phase change layer, the membrane shows a temperature rise of 26.2 °C under AM 1.5 irradiation, heating up to 54.5 °C at 3.5 V voltage, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness exceeding 40 dB. This work demonstrates a stable and scalable coating strategy for next-generation wearable materials.
{"title":"Hierarchical Phase Change Fiber Membranes with Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Interfaces for High-Performance Thermal Regulation and Electromagnetic Shielding","authors":"Muyi Han, Rongjun Wei, Bingqing Quan, Jiashuo Wang, Xinpeng Hu, Xiang Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129856","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129856","url":null,"abstract":"The rapid development of intelligent wearable devices increases the need for materials that provide effective thermal management and electromagnetic shielding, yet integrating rapid thermal response, sustained heat buffering, and electromagnetic protection within a flexible membrane remains challenging. Phase change materials offer latent heat storage, but their integration with functional fillers is hindered by limited flexibility and weak interfacial adhesion, which disrupts functional layer continuity and diminishes performance. Here, we construct a paraffin wax@polyvinylidene fluoride (PP) fibrous membrane with an organic-inorganic Polyaniline/MXene (PANI/MXene) hybrid coating. PANI forms a flexible and hydrophilic surface that facilitates the uniform deposition and interfacial integration of MXene nanosheets, enabling the formation of a continuous conductive network. This hybrid coating enables rapid photothermal heating, efficient Joule heating, and strong electromagnetic shielding. With a latent heat storage capability provided by the phase change layer, the membrane shows a temperature rise of 26.2 °C under AM 1.5 irradiation, heating up to 54.5 °C at 3.5 V voltage, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness exceeding 40 dB. This work demonstrates a stable and scalable coating strategy for next-generation wearable materials.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"407 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147465736","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 : 2026-03-14DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129852
Mayuko Kira, Daniel Citterio, Yuki Hiruta
Thermo-responsive polymers are widely applied in various fields, including drug delivery and surface coating. Dual thermo-responsive polymers, which exhibit both lower and upper critical solution temperatures (LCST and UCST), enable notable temperature-dependent behaviors within a tunable range. However, the structure–property relationships governing dual temperature-responsiveness are still insufficiently understood, particularly for polymers including pH-sensitive zwitterionic groups. In this study, LCST–UCST polymers, P(MEO2MAxMEOMAyGAASt20), composed of mono/di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MEOMA/MEO2MA) and a zwitterionic monomer derived from glutamic acid (GAASt), were designed. By varying the ethylene glycol (EG) side chain length, pH, and salts, it was investigated how the balance between hydrophilic and electrostatic interactions governs the thermo-responsive behavior of the copolymers. In 10 mM phosphate buffer (PB, pH 7), UCST behavior was observed with only P(MEOMA79GAASt21), likely because shorter EG chains increased the relative contribution of zwitterionic units. The UCST of this polymer increased with the addition of salt, unlike typical zwitterionic UCST-type polymers. Polymers containing MEO2MA exhibited LCST behavior in 10 mM PB (pH 7) containing 100 mM NaCl, and the LCST decreased with shorter EG chains and kosmotropic ions. Under acidic and basic conditions, the thermo-responsive transition was not observed. Furthermore, P(MEO2MA19MEOMA61GAASt20) exhibited LCST–UCST behavior induced by NaCl. The diameter of the polymer in solution varied with temperature: terpolymer chains below the LCST, the largest aggregates between the LCST and UCST, and small globules above the UCST. Our findings provide insight into the molecular design strategies for thermo-responsive polymers in bioapplications.
热敏聚合物广泛应用于各种领域，包括药物输送和表面涂层。双热响应聚合物具有较低和较高的临界溶液温度（LCST和UCST），可以在可调范围内实现显著的温度依赖行为。然而，控制双温度响应性的结构-性质关系仍然没有得到充分的理解，特别是对于包括ph敏感两性离子基团的聚合物。本研究设计了由单/二（乙二醇）甲基丙烯酸甲酯（MEOMA/MEO2MA）和谷氨酸衍生两性离子单体（GAASt）组成的lst - ucst聚合物P（MEO2MAxMEOMAyGAASt20）。通过改变乙二醇（EG）侧链长度、pH值和盐，研究了亲水性和静电相互作用之间的平衡如何影响共聚物的热响应行为。在10 mM磷酸盐缓冲液（PB, pH 7）中，仅观察到P（MEOMA79GAASt21）的UCST行为，可能是因为较短的EG链增加了两性离子单元的相对贡献。与典型的两性离子UCST型聚合物不同，该聚合物的UCST随盐的加入而增加。含有MEO2MA的聚合物在含100 mM NaCl的10 mM PB （pH 7）中表现出LCST行为，并且随着EG链的缩短和同向性离子的加入，LCST降低。在酸性和碱性条件下，没有观察到热响应转变。此外，P（MEO2MA19MEOMA61GAASt20）表现出NaCl诱导的lst - ucst行为。溶液中聚合物的直径随温度的变化而变化：三聚体链低于LCST， LCST和UCST之间最大的聚集体，UCST以上的小球体。我们的发现为热响应性聚合物在生物应用中的分子设计策略提供了见解。
{"title":"Dual Thermo-Responsive pH-Sensitive Amino Acid-Derived Zwitterionic Copolymers: Balancing Electrostatic and Hydrophilic Interactions in LCST–UCST Behavior","authors":"Mayuko Kira, Daniel Citterio, Yuki Hiruta","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129852","url":null,"abstract":"Thermo-responsive polymers are widely applied in various fields, including drug delivery and surface coating. Dual thermo-responsive polymers, which exhibit both lower and upper critical solution temperatures (LCST and UCST), enable notable temperature-dependent behaviors within a tunable range. However, the structure–property relationships governing dual temperature-responsiveness are still insufficiently understood, particularly for polymers including pH-sensitive zwitterionic groups. In this study, LCST–UCST polymers, P(MEO<sub>2</sub>MA<sub>x</sub>MEOMA<sub>y</sub>GAASt<sub>20</sub>), composed of mono/di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MEOMA/MEO<sub>2</sub>MA) and a zwitterionic monomer derived from glutamic acid (GAASt), were designed. By varying the ethylene glycol (EG) side chain length, pH, and salts, it was investigated how the balance between hydrophilic and electrostatic interactions governs the thermo-responsive behavior of the copolymers. In 10 mM phosphate buffer (PB, pH 7), UCST behavior was observed with only P(MEOMA<sub>79</sub>GAASt<sub>21</sub>), likely because shorter EG chains increased the relative contribution of zwitterionic units. The UCST of this polymer increased with the addition of salt, unlike typical zwitterionic UCST-type polymers. Polymers containing MEO<sub>2</sub>MA exhibited LCST behavior in 10 mM PB (pH 7) containing 100 mM NaCl, and the LCST decreased with shorter EG chains and kosmotropic ions. Under acidic and basic conditions, the thermo-responsive transition was not observed. Furthermore, P(MEO<sub>2</sub>MA<sub>19</sub>MEOMA<sub>61</sub>GAASt<sub>20</sub>) exhibited LCST–UCST behavior induced by NaCl. The diameter of the polymer in solution varied with temperature: terpolymer chains below the LCST, the largest aggregates between the LCST and UCST, and small globules above the UCST. Our findings provide insight into the molecular design strategies for thermo-responsive polymers in bioapplications.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"63 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147447858","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 : 2026-03-13DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129850
Xuhang Zhang, Xinyu Fan, Xiaohu Li, Siyu Du, Xinyao Yang, Jingyue Yang, Yingdan Liu
The development of high-performance flexible robotics and biomedical devices urgently requires smart materials that integrate multiple functions—such as sensing and actuation—while maintaining mechanical resilience and environmental adaptability. Traditional magnetic hydrogels often face limitations such as water evaporation, swelling-induced degradation, and poor performance under extreme temperatures, which restrict their practical applications. To address these challenges, we have developed a novel conductive and magnetic eutectogel with exceptional stretchability and broad temperature-range tolerance. This material is fabricated through an innovative three-stage strategy involving the pre-construction of a hydrogel network, in situ co-precipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and solvent exchange with a deep eutectic solvent (DES). This approach not only overcomes the swelling and instability issues commonly associated with traditional hydrogels but also leverages the unique characteristics of DESs to impart enhanced mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, which are preserved across a wide temperature range. The developed composite eutectogel demonstrates excellent functionality in two key applications: serving as a highly sensitive strain sensor for real-time monitoring of human motion and functioning as a magnetically responsive actuator with precise and directional movement capabilities. This work establishes a robust and versatile material platform for advanced multifunctional soft electronic devices, offering exceptional durability and environmental adaptability.
{"title":"Novel Stretchable, Wide-Temperature-Tolerant Magnetic Eutectogels for Multifunctional Strain Sensing and Magnetic Actuation Systems","authors":"Xuhang Zhang, Xinyu Fan, Xiaohu Li, Siyu Du, Xinyao Yang, Jingyue Yang, Yingdan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129850","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129850","url":null,"abstract":"The development of high-performance flexible robotics and biomedical devices urgently requires smart materials that integrate multiple functions—such as sensing and actuation—while maintaining mechanical resilience and environmental adaptability. Traditional magnetic hydrogels often face limitations such as water evaporation, swelling-induced degradation, and poor performance under extreme temperatures, which restrict their practical applications. To address these challenges, we have developed a novel conductive and magnetic eutectogel with exceptional stretchability and broad temperature-range tolerance. This material is fabricated through an innovative three-stage strategy involving the pre-construction of a hydrogel network, in situ co-precipitation of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles, and solvent exchange with a deep eutectic solvent (DES). This approach not only overcomes the swelling and instability issues commonly associated with traditional hydrogels but also leverages the unique characteristics of DESs to impart enhanced mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, which are preserved across a wide temperature range. The developed composite eutectogel demonstrates excellent functionality in two key applications: serving as a highly sensitive strain sensor for real-time monitoring of human motion and functioning as a magnetically responsive actuator with precise and directional movement capabilities. This work establishes a robust and versatile material platform for advanced multifunctional soft electronic devices, offering exceptional durability and environmental adaptability.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"302 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147447860","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 : 2026-03-12DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129826
Alireza Nouroozi, Saeed Bazgir, Mohammad Mahdi A. Shirazi
A nanoporous polyacrylonitrile (PAN)–graphene oxide (GO) nanofibrous membrane was developed as a separator for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using gas-assisted electrospinning. PAN solutions containing 12.5 wt% polymer and different GO loadings (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% relative to PAN) were processed to examine the effect of GO incorporation on membrane structure and electrochemical performance. Compared with conventional electrospinning, gas-assisted electrospinning markedly reduced fiber diameter, improved structural uniformity, and increased the production rate by approximately fivefold. These changes led to highly porous membranes with porosity up to 96% and electrolyte uptake above 2000%, together with enhanced ionic transport. The gas-assisted process also enabled effective incorporation and dispersion of GO within the nanofibrous matrix, which further improved membrane wettability and electrochemical behavior. Structural and physicochemical characterization was performed using FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, SEM, and TEM, while tensile testing confirmed adequate mechanical integrity for separator application. Electrochemical evaluation by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and charge–discharge cycling showed that the combined effects of gas-assisted fiber thinning and GO incorporation increased ionic conductivity to 2.97 mS cm-1 and delivered stable cycling performance, with capacity retention of 79% after 100 cycles. These results demonstrate that gas-assisted electrospinning is an effective and scalable route for producing high-performance PAN–GO separators for LIB applications.
采用气助静电纺丝技术制备了一种纳米多孔聚丙烯腈(PAN) -氧化石墨烯（GO）纳米纤维膜作为锂离子电池（LIBs）的隔膜。研究人员对含有12.5 wt%聚合物和不同氧化石墨烯（相对于PAN重量为0.5、1.0和1.5 wt%）的PAN溶液进行处理，以研究氧化石墨烯掺入对膜结构和电化学性能的影响。与传统静电纺丝相比，气体辅助静电纺丝显著减小了纤维直径，改善了结构均匀性，生产率提高了约5倍。这些变化导致多孔膜的孔隙率高达96%，电解质吸收率超过2000%，同时离子传输增强。气体辅助工艺还能使氧化石墨烯在纳米纤维基质中有效地结合和分散，从而进一步改善膜的润湿性和电化学行为。使用FTIR、XRD、拉曼光谱、TGA、SEM和TEM进行了结构和物理化学表征，同时拉伸测试证实了分离器的机械完整性。通过循环伏安法、电化学阻抗谱和充放电循环等电化学评价表明，气助纤维减薄和氧化石墨烯掺入的综合作用将离子电导率提高到2.97 mS cm-1，循环性能稳定，100次循环后容量保持率为79%。这些结果表明，气体辅助静电纺丝是一种有效的、可扩展的方法，可以生产高性能的PAN-GO分离器，用于LIB应用。
{"title":"Gas-assisted electrospinning of mixed matrix polyacrylonitrile-graphene oxide nanofiber membranes for enhanced lithium-ion battery separators","authors":"Alireza Nouroozi, Saeed Bazgir, Mohammad Mahdi A. Shirazi","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129826","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129826","url":null,"abstract":"A nanoporous polyacrylonitrile (PAN)–graphene oxide (GO) nanofibrous membrane was developed as a separator for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using gas-assisted electrospinning. PAN solutions containing 12.5 wt% polymer and different GO loadings (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% relative to PAN) were processed to examine the effect of GO incorporation on membrane structure and electrochemical performance. Compared with conventional electrospinning, gas-assisted electrospinning markedly reduced fiber diameter, improved structural uniformity, and increased the production rate by approximately fivefold. These changes led to highly porous membranes with porosity up to 96% and electrolyte uptake above 2000%, together with enhanced ionic transport. The gas-assisted process also enabled effective incorporation and dispersion of GO within the nanofibrous matrix, which further improved membrane wettability and electrochemical behavior. Structural and physicochemical characterization was performed using FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, SEM, and TEM, while tensile testing confirmed adequate mechanical integrity for separator application. Electrochemical evaluation by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and charge–discharge cycling showed that the combined effects of gas-assisted fiber thinning and GO incorporation increased ionic conductivity to 2.97 mS cm<sup>-1</sup> and delivered stable cycling performance, with capacity retention of 79% after 100 cycles. These results demonstrate that gas-assisted electrospinning is an effective and scalable route for producing high-performance PAN–GO separators for LIB applications.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147439747","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}
Epoxy resin is widely applied for its excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability, yet its intrinsic flammability greatly limits further applications. Herein, an intrinsically flame-retardant epoxy resin (PNDEP) with phthalonitrile and Schiff base structures was synthesized via a facile, efficient three-step reaction. Then, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) was adopted as the curing agent to obtain cured PNDEP/DDM resin through thermal curing. Compared with commercial bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) epoxy resin, cured PNDEP/DDM resin showed improved comprehensive performance, which was ascribed to the higher crosslinking density, as well as the rigid isoindoline and triazine structures formed. Notably, its glass transition temperature reached 214 °C, Young’s modulus hit 5630 MPa, and char yield at 700 °C achieved 56%. Moreover, PNDEP/DDM featured a distinctive gas-condensed phase synergistic flame-retardant mechanism. Non-combustible gases produced during combustion induced foaming to form a dense and robust 3D porous sponge-like char layer, thus endowing the material with excellent flame retardancy. Specifically, it passed the UL-94 V-0 vertical burning test. And its peak heat release rate and total heat release reduced by 88.8% and 84.2%, respectively, compared with that of DGEBA/DDM system. Owing to its superior comprehensive properties, cured PNDEP/DDM resin has broad prospects in high-end fields like electronic packaging and aerospace engineering.
{"title":"Phthalonitrile-Schiff base epoxy resin: unique gas-condensed phase synergy endows excellent flame retardancy","authors":"Xin Qu, Liwei Yang, Yidi Liu, Fangzheng Jia, Jingcheng Liu, Xiaojie Li, Wei Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129849","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129849","url":null,"abstract":"Epoxy resin is widely applied for its excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability, yet its intrinsic flammability greatly limits further applications. Herein, an intrinsically flame-retardant epoxy resin (PNDEP) with phthalonitrile and Schiff base structures was synthesized via a facile, efficient three-step reaction. Then, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) was adopted as the curing agent to obtain cured PNDEP/DDM resin through thermal curing. Compared with commercial bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) epoxy resin, cured PNDEP/DDM resin showed improved comprehensive performance, which was ascribed to the higher crosslinking density, as well as the rigid isoindoline and triazine structures formed. Notably, its glass transition temperature reached 214 °C, Young’s modulus hit 5630 MPa, and char yield at 700 °C achieved 56%. Moreover, PNDEP/DDM featured a distinctive gas-condensed phase synergistic flame-retardant mechanism. Non-combustible gases produced during combustion induced foaming to form a dense and robust 3D porous sponge-like char layer, thus endowing the material with excellent flame retardancy. Specifically, it passed the UL-94 V-0 vertical burning test. And its peak heat release rate and total heat release reduced by 88.8% and 84.2%, respectively, compared with that of DGEBA/DDM system. Owing to its superior comprehensive properties, cured PNDEP/DDM resin has broad prospects in high-end fields like electronic packaging and aerospace engineering.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147439750","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 : 2026-03-11DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129839
Tristan Perodeau, Javier A. Vargas, Mickaël Dollé, Audrey Laventure
Polymer crystallinity in solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) is a known conductivity hinderance which can decrease the ionic conductivity in solid state devices. Understanding and controlling crystallization in these materials is crucial. Herein, we leverage crystallization investigations as a tool to assess the impact of the salt on the phases in presence in SPEs. We investigate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of two model systems, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), respectively mixed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) at controlled molar ratios (O:Li) of r = 40 and r = 15. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed at various cooling rates to investigate the thermal behavior and the non-isothermal kinetics of both systems. A two-step crystallization process fit based on the Nakamura model was employed to analyze the resulting heat flow curves. Kinetic parameters extracted such as the Avrami indexes and Nakamura nucleation constants were used to correlate the crystallinity trends with the LiTFSI content. The crystal growth rates were also extracted from the conversion – temperature plots by using the effective crystallization half time. Low molar ratios of LiTFSI promoted nucleation and growth in both systems, yet different behaviors of crystal growth were identified. For both systems, LiTFSI was found to act as a nucleation agent at low molar ratio (r = 40). In the case of PEO:LiTFSI a linear tendency between effective growth rate and crystallization peak temperature was found while for PCL:LiTFSI, an exponential growth was identified. These results open the way to rationally design and process novel solid polymer electrolyte to alleviate the conductivity impediment from the crystalline phase.
固体聚合物电解质（spe）中的聚合物结晶度是已知的电导率障碍，它会降低固态器件中的离子电导率。了解和控制这些材料的结晶是至关重要的。在这里，我们利用结晶研究作为工具来评估盐对spe中存在的相的影响。研究了两种模型体系聚环氧乙烷（PEO）和聚ε-己内酯（PCL）在控制摩尔比（O:Li） r = 40和r = 15下分别与二（三氟甲烷磺酰）亚胺锂（LiTFSI）混合的非等温结晶动力学。采用差示扫描量热法（DSC）研究了两种体系在不同冷却速率下的热行为和非等温动力学。采用基于Nakamura模型的两步结晶过程拟合对所得热流曲线进行了分析。提取的动力学参数如Avrami指数和Nakamura成核常数用于将结晶度趋势与LiTFSI含量联系起来。利用有效结晶半时间从转化温度图中提取了晶体生长速率。低摩尔比的LiTFSI促进了两种体系的成核和生长，但发现了不同的晶体生长行为。对于这两种体系，LiTFSI被发现在低摩尔比（r = 40）下作为成核剂。PEO:LiTFSI的有效生长速率与结晶峰温度呈线性关系，PCL:LiTFSI的有效生长速率与结晶峰温度呈指数增长关系。这些结果为合理设计和加工新型固体聚合物电解质以减轻晶体相的电导率障碍开辟了道路。
{"title":"Exploring the impact of LiTFSI on solid polymer electrolytes crystallization behavior","authors":"Tristan Perodeau, Javier A. Vargas, Mickaël Dollé, Audrey Laventure","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129839","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129839","url":null,"abstract":"Polymer crystallinity in solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) is a known conductivity hinderance which can decrease the ionic conductivity in solid state devices. Understanding and controlling crystallization in these materials is crucial. Herein, we leverage crystallization investigations as a tool to assess the impact of the salt on the phases in presence in SPEs. We investigate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of two model systems, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), respectively mixed with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) at controlled molar ratios (O:Li) of <em>r</em> = 40 and <em>r</em> = 15. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was employed at various cooling rates to investigate the thermal behavior and the non-isothermal kinetics of both systems. A two-step crystallization process fit based on the Nakamura model was employed to analyze the resulting heat flow curves. Kinetic parameters extracted such as the Avrami indexes and Nakamura nucleation constants were used to correlate the crystallinity trends with the LiTFSI content. The crystal growth rates were also extracted from the conversion – temperature plots by using the effective crystallization half time. Low molar ratios of LiTFSI promoted nucleation and growth in both systems, yet different behaviors of crystal growth were identified. For both systems, LiTFSI was found to act as a nucleation agent at low molar ratio (<em>r =</em> 40). In the case of PEO:LiTFSI a linear tendency between effective growth rate and crystallization peak temperature was found while for PCL:LiTFSI, an exponential growth was identified. These results open the way to rationally design and process novel solid polymer electrolyte to alleviate the conductivity impediment from the crystalline phase.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"82 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147393462","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 : 2026-03-09DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129837
Huixiang Wang, Xinchao Yang, Jing Wang, Ya Lu
Flexible supercapacitors have emerged as promising energy storage devices, owing to their high power density and long cycle life. However, the development of electrode materials with high specific capacitance, superior electrochemical and mechanical stability remains a critical challenge. In this work, we report a facile strategy for fabricating cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-carbon nanotube (CNT)@polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite aerogels via TEMPO oxidation, freeze-drying, and in-situ polymerization. The CNFs serve as a dispersive scaffold to uniformly distribute CNTs, forming a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network, while PANI coats the CNF-CNT hybrid to construct a core-shell structure, enhancing pseudocapacitive performance. The resulting CNF-CNT@PANI aerogel exhibits a hierarchical porous structure with a high specific surface area of 121.4 m2 g-1 and low density of 12.8 mg cm-3. The assembled flexible supercapacitors deliver a high areal specific capacitance of 722.4 mF cm-2 at 2 mA cm-2, long-term capacitive cyclic stability (86% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles), and remarkable mechanical stability (95.2% capacitance retention after 200 bending cycles). Additionally, the device achieves a maximum areal energy density of 99.5 μWh cm-2 at a power density of 1005.4 μW cm-2, outperforming many reported PANI-based supercapacitors. This work provides a feasible approach for designing high-performance flexible electrode materials for next-generation energy storage systems.
{"title":"Hierarchically porous CNF-CNT@PANI nanocomposite aerogels for flexible supercapacitors with high specific capacitance and electrochemical stability","authors":"Huixiang Wang, Xinchao Yang, Jing Wang, Ya Lu","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129837","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129837","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible supercapacitors have emerged as promising energy storage devices, owing to their high power density and long cycle life. However, the development of electrode materials with high specific capacitance, superior electrochemical and mechanical stability remains a critical challenge. In this work, we report a facile strategy for fabricating cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-carbon nanotube (CNT)@polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite aerogels via TEMPO oxidation, freeze-drying, and <ce:italic>in-situ</ce:italic> polymerization. The CNFs serve as a dispersive scaffold to uniformly distribute CNTs, forming a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected network, while PANI coats the CNF-CNT hybrid to construct a core-shell structure, enhancing pseudocapacitive performance. The resulting CNF-CNT@PANI aerogel exhibits a hierarchical porous structure with a high specific surface area of 121.4 m<ce:sup loc=\"post\">2</ce:sup> g<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-1</ce:sup> and low density of 12.8 mg cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-3</ce:sup>. The assembled flexible supercapacitors deliver a high areal specific capacitance of 722.4 mF cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> at 2 mA cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup>, long-term capacitive cyclic stability (86% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles), and remarkable mechanical stability (95.2% capacitance retention after 200 bending cycles). Additionally, the device achieves a maximum areal energy density of 99.5 μWh cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup> at a power density of 1005.4 μW cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">-2</ce:sup>, outperforming many reported PANI-based supercapacitors. This work provides a feasible approach for designing high-performance flexible electrode materials for next-generation energy storage systems.","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"78 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147392809","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 : 2026-03-06Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129665
Haoxin Fu , Zidi Hao , Xiaohan Qiao , Ruona Li , Lixue Liu , Lei Zhang , Xueting Zhao , Na Tang
Functional membranes integrating optical transparency, oxygen permeability, and mechanical robustness are highly demanded in fields like continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) yet challenged by complex fabrication and environmental concerns from solvent use. To address this, MR2007 (one of the polypropylene candidates) was chosen as the substrate because it exhibited the most homogeneous molecular consistency, evidenced by the sharpest exothermic peak in the DSC cooling curve, firstly. Then we developed a facile hot-pressing method to fabricate metallocene polypropylene (mPP) membranes blended with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at gradient ratios. The resulting composite membranes preserve excellent optical properties while exhibiting an approximately tenfold enhancement in oxygen permeability and robust stability. Notably, they demonstrate exceptional Ultraviolet (UV) resistance, with no significant degradation in transmittance or haze after 120 h of continuous UV exposure. This work establishes a material basis for advancing CLIP technology and demonstrates promise for enabling its practical, high-efficiency application.
{"title":"A PDMS/m-PP hybrid membrane with high oxygen transmittance as a potential building block for 3D printing applications","authors":"Haoxin Fu , Zidi Hao , Xiaohan Qiao , Ruona Li , Lixue Liu , Lei Zhang , Xueting Zhao , Na Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.polymer.2026.129665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Functional membranes integrating optical transparency, oxygen permeability, and mechanical robustness are highly demanded in fields like continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) yet challenged by complex fabrication and environmental concerns from solvent use. To address this, MR2007 (one of the polypropylene candidates) was chosen as the substrate because it exhibited the most homogeneous molecular consistency, evidenced by the sharpest exothermic peak in the DSC cooling curve, firstly. Then we developed a facile hot-pressing method to fabricate metallocene polypropylene (mPP) membranes blended with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at gradient ratios. The resulting composite membranes preserve excellent optical properties while exhibiting an approximately tenfold enhancement in oxygen permeability and robust stability. Notably, they demonstrate exceptional Ultraviolet (UV) resistance, with no significant degradation in transmittance or haze after 120 h of continuous UV exposure. This work establishes a material basis for advancing CLIP technology and demonstrates promise for enabling its practical, high-efficiency application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":405,"journal":{"name":"Polymer","volume":"347 ","pages":"Article 129665"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072862","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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