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The amalgamation of polymer and pharmaceutical sciences led to the introduction of polymer in the design and development of drug delivery systems. Polymeric delivery systems are mainly intended to achieve controlled or sustained drug delivery. Polysaccharides fabricated into hydrophilic matrices remain popular biomaterials for controlled-release dosage forms and the most abundant naturally occurring biopolymer is cellulose; so hdroxypropylmethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose can be used for production of time controlled delivery systems. Additionally microcrystalline cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose as well as hydroxypropyl cellulose are used to coat tablets. Cellulose acetate phthalate and hydroxymethyl cellulose phthalate are also used for enteric coating of tablets. Targeting of drugs to the colon following oral administration has also been accomplished by using polysaccharides such as hdroxypropylmethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose in hydrated form; also they act as binders that swell when hydrated by gastric media and delay absorption. This paper assembles the current knowledge on the structure and chemistry of cellulose, and in the development of innovative cellulose esters and ethers for pharmaceuticals.

Radical photo-grafting polymerization constitutes a promising technique for introducing functional groups onto surfaces of polypropylene films. According to their final use, surface grafting should be done without affecting overall mechanical properties. In this work the tensile drawing, fracture and biaxial impact response of biaxially oriented polypropylene commercial films grafted with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were investigated in terms of film orientation and surface modification. The variations of surface roughness, elastic modulus, hardness and resistance to permanent deformation induced by the chemical treatment were assessed by depth sensing indentation. As a consequence of chemical modification the optical, transport and wettability properties of the films were successfully varied. The introduced chains generated a PAA-grafted layer, which is stiffer and harder than the neat polypropylene surface. Regardless of the surface changes, it was proven that this kind of grafting procedure does not detriment bulk mechanical properties of the PP film.

The long term mechanical behavior of oil extended thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) based on polypropylene (PP) and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) has been characterized by means of stress relaxation experiments. The morphology of TPV and the phase specific oil distribution which depend on the content and type of oil as well as on the mixing regime have been characterized by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetrie (DSC). The discussion of the stress relaxation behavior was carried out using the two-component model, which allows splitting the initial stress into two components: a thermal activated stress component and an athermal one. A master curve was created by shifting the relaxation curves vertically and horizontally towards the reference curve. The vertical shift factor b_T is a function of the temperature dependence of the athermal stress components. It was found that the oil distribution strongly affects the athermal stress component which is related to the contribution of the structural changes, e.g. crystallinity of the PP phase and the average molecular weight between the crosslinks of the NBR phase. From the temperature dependence of the horizontal shift factor a_T the main viscoelastic relaxation process was determined as the α-relaxation process of the crystalline PP phase. It is not dependent on the polarity and content of the oil as well as the mixing regime.

The dielectric dispersion behaviour of montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanoparticles colloidal suspension in poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-ethylene glycol (PVP-EG) blends were investigated over the frequency range 20 Hz to 1 MHz at 30°C. The 0, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 wt% MMT clay concentration of the weight of total solute (MMT+PVP) were prepared in PVP-EG blends using EG as solvent. The complex relative dielectric function, alternating current (ac) electrical conductivity, electric modulus and impedance spectra of these materials show the relaxation processes corresponding to the micro-Brownian motion of PVP chain, ion conduction and electrode polarization phenomena. The real part of ac conductivity spectra of these materials obeys Jonscher power law σ^′(ω) =σ_dc + Aωⁿ in upper frequency end of the measurement, whereas dispersion in lower frequency end confirms the presence of electrode polarization effect. It was observed that the increase of clay concentration in the PVP-EG blends significantly increases the ac conductivity values, and simultaneously reduces the ionic conductivity relaxation time and electric double layer relaxation time, which suggests that PVP segmental dynamics and ionic motion are strongly coupled. The intercalation of EG structures in clay galleries and exfoliation of clay sheets by adsorption of PVP-EG structures on clay surfaces are discussed by considering the hydrogen bonding interactions between the hydroxyl group (–OH) of EG molecules, carbonyl group (C=O) of PVP monomer units, and the hydroxylated aluminate surfaces of the MMT clay particles. Results suggest that the colloidal suspension of MMT clay nano particles in the PVP-EG blends provide a convenient way to obtain an electrolyte solution with tailored electrical conduction properties.

Environmental problems caused by extensive use of polymeric materials arise mainly due to lack of landfill space and depletion of finite natural resources of fossil raw materials, such as petroleum or natural gas. The substitution of synthetic petroleum-based resins with natural biodegradable resins appears to be one appropriate measure to remedy the above-mentioned situation. This study presents the development of a composite that uses environmentally degradable starch-based resin as matrix and basalt fibre plain fabric as reinforcement. Prepreg sheets were manufactured by means of a modified doctor blade system and a hot power press. The sheets were used to manufacture bidirectional-reinforced specimens with fibre volume contents ranging from 33 to 61%. Specimens were tested for tensile and flexural strength, and exhibited values of up to 373 and 122 MPa, respectively. Through application of silane coupling agents to the reinforcement fibres, the flexural composite properties were subsequently improved by as much as 38%. Finally, in order to enhance the fire retardancy and hence the applicability of the composite, fire retardants were applied to the resin, and their effectiveness was tested by means of flame rating (according to UL 94) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively.

A novel poly(urethane-imide) (PUI) containing dispersed red chromophore was synthesized. The PUI was characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, DSC and TGA. The results of DSC and TGA indicated that the PUI exhibited high thermal stability up to its glass-transition temperature (T_g) of 196°C and 5% heat weight loss temperature of 229°C. According to UV-Vis spectrum and working curve, the maximum molar absorption coefficient and absorption wavelength were measured. They were used to calculate the third-order nonlinear optical coefficient χ⁽³⁾. At the same time, the chromophore density of PUI, nonlinear refractive index coefficient and molecular hyperpolarizability of PUI were obtained. The fluorescence spectra of PUI and model compound DR-19 were determined at excitation wavelength 300 nm. The electron donor and acceptor in polymer formed the exciplex through the transfer of the electric charges. The results show that the poly(urethane-imide) is a promising candidate for application in optical devices.

Liquid hydroxyfunctional polydimethylsiloxanes prepolymers (HOPDMS, Siloprens) with a range of relative molar masses, M_n (25 500–88 000 g/mol) quoted by the supplier have been characterised by a number of techniques such as OH group titration, bulk viscometry, Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), and swelling measurements. The resulting molar masses of these prepolymer obtained through these techniques have been compared with one another and that of the values quoted by the manufacturer. Unexpected results of insensitivity of the properties of these prepolymer to the initial molar masses quoted by the suppliers have been observed. It has been found out that these results are dependent upon the type of technique used. The reason for these unexpected results has been discussed in detail and attributed to the multi functionality of the prepolymers, a characteristic not previously suspected or reported.