Ultraviolet resistance modification of poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) fibers with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

Octa‐ammonium chloride salt of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was synthesized by a hydrolysis reaction and introduced into poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) (p‐POD) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers by a finishing method to enhance the UV resistance. The effects of the POSS concentration, treatment temperature, and time on the tensile strength of the fibers were investigated. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, crystallinity, degree of orientation of fibers, and intrinsic viscosity of the polymer solution were characterized in detail. The results indicate that the tensile strength retention and intrinsic viscosity retention of the fibers treated with POSS were much higher than those of the untreated fibers after the same accelerated irradiation time; this demonstrated that this treatment method was feasible. We also found that the efficacy of the protection provided by POSS was more beneficial to p‐POD than PPTA because of the different structure. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42643.     

Fabrication of 6FDA‐durene polyimide asymmetric hollow fibers for gas separation

We have developed defect‐free asymmetric hexafluoro propane diandydride (6FDA) durene polyimide (6FDA‐durene) hollow fibers with a selectivity of 4.2 for O₂/N₂ and a permeance of 33.1 ×10^?6 cm³ (STP)/cm²‐s‐cmHg for O_2. These fibers were spun from a high viscosity in situ imidization dope consisting of 14.7% 6FDA‐durene in a NMP solvent and the inherent viscosities (IV) of this 6FDA‐durene polymer was 0.84 dL/g. Low IV dopes cannot produce defect‐free hollow fibers, indicating a 6FDA‐durene spinning dope with a viscosity in the region of chain entanglement seems to be essential to yield hollow fibers with minimum defects. The effects of spinning parameters such as shear rates within a spinneret and bore fluids as well as air gap on gas separation performance were investigated. Experimental data demonstrate that hollow fibers spun with NMP/H₂O as the bore liquid have higher permeances and selectivities than those spun with glycerol as the bore liquid because the former has a relatively looser inner skin structure than the latter. In addition, the selectivity of hollow fibers spun with NMP/H₂O as the bore liquid changes moderately with shear rate, while the selectivity of hollow fibers spun with glycerol are less sensitive to the change of shear rate. These distinct behaviors are mainly attributed to the different morphologies generated by different bore fluids. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2166–2173, 2001     

Synthesis and properties of homopolyamide and copolyamides fibers based on 2,6‐bis(p‐aminophenyl)benzo[1,2‐d;5,4‐d′]bisoxazole

A novel aromatic homopolyamide with benzobisoxazole units in the main chain was synthesized with 2,6‐bis(p‐aminophenyl)benzo[1,2‐d;5,4‐d′]bisoxazole and terephthaloyl chloride by low temperature solution polycondensation, the inherent viscosity of which was 1.98 dL/g. The diamine and p‐phenylendiamine with terephthaloyl chloride were used to synthesize the copolyamides. The structures of homopolyamide and copolyamides were characterized by IR spectra, elemental analysis, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurements showed that homopolyamide and copolyamides were predominantly crystallinity. The results of thermal analysis indicated that the thermal stabilities of the copolymer increased with an increase of the molar fraction of benzobisoxazole in the copolymers. The thermal stability of the copolyamides with decomposition temperatures (at 10% weight loss) above 570°C was better than that of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA). Fibers of homopolyamide and copolyterephthalamides were spun from lyotropic liquid crystal dope in 100% H₂SO₄. When compared with PPTA fibers prepared under the same conditions, the tensile strengths of copolyamides fibers improved by 20–33% with tensile strengths of 1.81 GPa, tensile moduli of 76 GPa, and elongations at break of 3.8–4.1%, which indicated that copolyamides fibers had outstanding mechanical properties. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Crosslinking studies on poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐1,4‐phenylene bisacrylate)

Several compositionally different poly(ethylene terephthalate‐co‐1,4‐phenylene bisacrylate) (PETPBA) copolymers were melt spun into fibers. The resulting fibers were subjected to UV irradiation to induce crosslinking. Evidence of crosslinking was obtained from FTIR, solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR, thermal analysis, and solubility. Irradiation of the fiber results in an increased glass‐transition temperature, reduced thermal shrinkage, and enhanced modulus retention at elevated temperature. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1698–1702, 2004     

Variables that Determine the Fiber‐Matrix Bond Strength in Ethylene‐Type Ionomer Composites

The effects of some variables, namely, ion concentration, matrix tensile strength, matrix yield strength and the matrix tensile modulus on the fiber‐matrix bonding strength were determined for six ionomers (coded PEA‐1 to PEA‐6) bonded to surface‐modified poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers. The results obtained show that the mean bonding shear strength of the ionomers correlates well with both their ultimate tensile strengths and their tensile yield stresses. However, correlation of the bonding shear strengths with the matrix yield stresses reveals that the bonding shear strength was about 1.1 times that of the matrix tensile stress. Failure criteria for all the materials predict maximum shear stress to be either 0.5 or 0.577 of the tensile yield stress, hence a value greater than unity cannot be interpreted nor theoretically justified. It was found that the bonding shear strength of the ethylene‐type ionomer PEA‐6 compared to carboxymethyl surface‐modified PPTA is about 20% lower than the bonding shear strength of this resin against sized PPTA fibers. The reduction of entanglements and/or ionic crosslinking across the bound polymer/bulk polymer interface leads to a weak interface with a subsequent decrease in the measured shear strength.     

Poly(p‐phenylene benzoxazole) fiber chemically modified by the incorporation of sulfonate groups

Two kinds of modified poly(p‐phenylene benzoxazole) (PBO), the copolymer of TPA (SPBO) and p‐SPBO, containing ionic groups in the macromolecular chains were obtained by copolymerization from 1,3‐diamino‐4,6‐dihydroxybenzene dihydrochloride (DAR) and terephthalic acid (TPA), with the addition of selected amounts (1.5–5.0% molar ratio over DAR) of 5‐sulfoisophthalic acid monosodium salt or sulfoterephthalic acid monopotassium salt in place of the TPA, respectively, in poly(phosphoric acid) (PPA). The resultant PBO/PPA, SPBO/PPA, and p‐SPBO/PPA lyotropic liquid‐crystalline solutions were spun into fibers by a dry‐jet wet‐spinning technique. Chemically modified PBO fibers with sulfonate salt pendants in the polymer chains were obtained for the first time. The surface wetting behavior and interfacial shear strength between the fiber and epoxy resin were investigated. The interference of sulfonate salt pendants on the crystalline morphology was measured. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

A ductile and highly fibrillating PPTA‐pulp and its reinforcement and filling effects of PPTA‐pulp on properties of paper‐based materials

In this work, poly(para‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA)‐pulp was investigated in view of employment in functional paper‐based materials as reinforcement, bonding, and filling materials. The morphological characteristics, fibrillation degree and the role of PPTA‐pulp, the ratio of PPTA‐pulp to PPTA fiber on the mechanical properties, and paper formation uniformity of the functional base paper were discussed. The results showed that the ductile, rough, and highly fibrillating morphological characteristics of PPTA‐pulp are helpful to give rise to some distinctive properties such as wet‐machinability and reinforcement effects in composite materials. Fibrillation of PPTA‐pulp significantly contributes to generating more highly dispersed slender threadlike micro‐fibrils and improving the properties of base paper. This research suggested a significant reinforcement, bonding, and filling potential of PPTA‐pulp for the production of functional paper composite materials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43209.     

Studies on the semirigid chain polyamide—poly(1,4-phenyleneterephthalamide)

In this article, the polycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride and p-phenylenediamine was systematically studied, including the liquid–crystalline state of the solution and the spinning of poly(1,4-phenyleneterephthalamide) (PPTA). High-molecular-weight PPTA with ε_inh = 5–7 was prepared and the main factors influencing the solution polycondensation of 1,4-phenylenediamine with terephthaloyl chloride were studied in detail. Experimental results showed that the water content of the reaction system, reactant concentration, and volume ratio of mix solvents have a great influence on the inherent viscosity of the poly(1,4-phenyleneterephthalamide) obtained. The highest ε_inh was obtained at 0.3M/liter reactant concentration in a mixed solvent ratio HMPA/DMAC of 4/1 (by volume), at 0.35M/liter reactant concentration in a mixed solvent of HMPA/NMP = 7/3, and at 0.5M/liter of reactant concentration in a mixed solvent of HMPA/THF = 9/1. The water content must be controlled to less than 100 ppm in the polymerization system. In the early stage of the polycondensation process, the ε_inh of the polymer obtained increased rapidly with time. The system gelled within 2 or 3 min, while the monomer conversion reached about 100%. However, the reaction of polycondensation continued after gelation and the ε_inh of the polymer increased appreciably. We have studied the viscosity behavior at 20–155°C for the anisotropic solution of PPTA in 100% sulfuric acid (ε_inh of PPTA 2.5–4.9). Experimental results showed that, at low concentrations the viscosity of isotropic solution increases with the increase of polymer concentration to reach a maxium near the critical polymer concentration, beyond which the solution changes to an anisotropic liquid–crystalline solution. The appropriate spinning region was obtained as shown in the phase diagram determined by viscosity, degree of depolarization anisotropy, and region of thermal depolymerization. Fibers of PPTA with high modulus and high tenacity were obtained by dry-jet wet spinning. The fibers obtained have a tenacity of ～22 g/denier, a modulus of ～600 g/denier, and elongation at break ～3.5%.     

Analysis of the structure and properties of expanded graphite‐filled poly(phenylene ether)/atactic polystyrene nanocomposite fibers

A miscible blend of 85.5 wt % atactic polystyrene and 9.5 wt % poly(phenylene ether) containing 5.0 wt % expanded graphite nanoparticles was melt‐spun and stretched up to 25 times. The structure and electrical and mechanical properties of the fibers were investigated. Characterized by a Hermans orientation factor of 0.6, the nanographite platelets were moderately aligned with the fiber axis, which likely occurred when the polymer itself was partially aligned during drawdown. The electrical conductivity of the oriented filaments was about 10^?4 S/cm, about what other researchers have measured in comparable unoriented systems. The conductive network of agglomerated graphite nanoparticles did not collapse during drawdown, which led to small protrusions, or bumps, on the fiber surface. The obvious lack of polymer–particle bonding led to reduced extrinsic mechanical properties; both the tensile strength and elongation of the fibers were 20–25% less than those of the neat fibers. The modulus of the oriented fiber was unchanged by the addition of the graphite nanoparticles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 645–652, 2007     

Effects of the coagulation temperature on the properties of wet‐spun poly(vinyl alcohol)–graphene oxide fibers

Graphene oxide (GO) as a positive reinforcement filler was dispersed into a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) dope and wet‐spun into composite fibers. The effects of two EtOH coagulation baths maintained at ?5 and 25 °C, respectively, on the morphology, structure, and mechanical properties of the composite fibers were investigated. The results show that gel spinning at ?5 °C led to a relatively large shrinkage ratio, thin diameter, and low porosity of the as‐spun fibers. Simultaneously, the low coagulation temperature also greatly contributed to the formation and preservation of the liquid‐crystalline phase of the GO sheets and interrupted the crystalline zone of PVA less. As a result, either the tenacity or the elongation at break of the fibers spun at ?5 °C was higher than those of the fibers spun through a coagulation bath at 25 °C. In particular, 1 wt % GO showed the highest reinforcement effects among all of the wet‐spun composite fibers. Hence, controlling the gelling–demixing process at a low temperature will provide more instructive insights for tailoring functional industrial textiles with excellent mechanical properties. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45463.     

X‐ray scattering study on the damage in fibers used in soft body armor after folding

The goals of the research effort described in this article are to develop a framework to evaluate improvements in next‐generation fibers used in soft body armor and to anticipate long‐term performance and potential fiber deterioration. This effort to date has included the effect of folding on the fibers and exploring the interaction between the specific fiber strain energy and their sound velocity. Previous work in this lab noted a severe drop‐off of tensile strength and strain‐to‐failure in poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers when subjected to repeated folding. Subsequent work on poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers showed at most a slight drop‐off in these mechanical properties. Results from wide angle X‐ray diffraction indicated that both PPTA and PBO fibers showed no significant changes in the d‐spacing and the apparent crystal size. However, with small angle X‐ray scattering, it was found that the void and fibril sizes within PBO fibers may decrease after folding. Environmental scanning electron microscopy showed no damage to the fiber surfaces upon folding, and confocal microscopy revealed extensive internal damage to the PBO fibers that tracks well with the SAXS and mechanical testing results. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of polymerization conditions on the viscosity and yield of poly(phenylene sulfide ether)

High molecular weight poly(phenylene sulfide ether) (PPSE) was successfully synthesized by reaction of 4,4′‐dihydroxy diphenyl sulfide with 4,4′‐dichloro diphenyl sulfide in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP). The influence of polymerization conditions on the intrinsic viscosity and yield of PPSE was investigated and the optimized reaction condition was concluded. Reactions at about 180°C for 6 h along with sodium benzoate as an additive and monomer concentration of 0.588 mol/L NMP were found to produce the highest intrinsic viscosity (0.55 dL/g). Longer reaction time and/or higher temperature reduced the intrinsic viscosity and yield of the resulting product, probably due to side reactions, such as reductive dehalogenation and chemical degradation. X‐ray diffraction indicated that the polymer possessed of orthorhombic cell and had a high crystallinity of 65.8%. The high molecular weight PPSE is a crystalline polymer with T_m of 252°C and T_mc of 224°C. The polymer shows good chemical resistance, but is soluble in organic amide, halo‐hydrocarbon and oxohydrocarbon solvent at a temperature over 150°C. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Preparation of conductive polyaniline fibers by a continuous forming‐drawn processing routine

Polyaniline fibers were prepared with a continuous forming‐drawn processing routine that better met practical production requirements. The continuous forming drawing of the fibers was conducted successfully with the following methods. A reducing agent was added to a polymer solution during the dissolution of a polyaniline emeraldine base in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP). After the entire wet‐spinning process was finished, the fibers were reoxidized and doped to obtain electric conductivity. The as‐spun fibers were predrawn at a low drawing ratio in a warm water bath before a plasticization drawing process on a hot plate. After the fibers were predrawn, some solvent was still kept in the fibers and used as a plasticizer of the fibers so that the plasticization drawing process would be performed successfully. The spinning conditions that affected the mechanical properties and conductivity of the fibers were the content of NMP in the coagulation bath, the coagulation‐bath temperature, the warm‐water‐bath temperature, the predrawing ratio, the hot‐plate temperature, the plasticization drawing ratio, and the reoxidation and protonation treatment time. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 956–960, 2004     

Carbon fibers derived from wet‐spinning of equi‐component lignin/polyacrylonitrile blends

Equi‐component blends of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and lignin, i.e., with a lignin content as large as 50 wt %, were successfully used as precursors to produce carbon fibers. Rheological measurements demonstrated that increasing lignin content in spinning solution reduced shear viscosity and normal stress, indicating a decrease of viscoelastic behavior. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared results that show no discernable chemical reaction or crosslinking between PAN and lignin in the solution. However, the resulting carbon fibers display a large I_D/I_G ratio (by Raman spectroscopy) indicating a larger disordered as compared to that from pure PAN. The macro‐voids in the lignin/PAN blend fibers typically generated during wet‐spinning were eliminated by adding lignin in the coagulant bath to counter‐balance the out‐diffusion of lignin. Carbon fibers resulting from lignin/PAN blends with 50 wt % lignin content displayed a tensile strength and modulus of 1.2 ± 0.1 and 130 ± 3 GPa, respectively, establishing that the equi‐component wet‐spun L/P‐based carbon fibers possessed tensile strength and modulus higher than 1 and 100 GPa. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45903.     

Influence of K+ and Na+ ions on the degradation of wet‐spun alginate fibers for tissue engineering

A synthetic type of wet‐spun alginate fibers were immersed in simulated body fluid(SBF) composed of K⁺, Na⁺, and Ca²⁺ cations with various concentrations. Experimental measurements revealed that Na⁺ had a greater impact on degradability than that of K⁺ ion. The finding was further confirmed by the characterization of mass loss, ICP, XRD, and theoretical analyses. The degradation process and mechanism were demonstrated through the research on swelling behavior and mass loss. Besides, the wet‐spun alginate fibers were characterized by FT‐IR, XRD, and SEM. The results showed that the degradation mechanism could be attributed to the ion‐exchange between Ca²⁺ of the synthetic alginate fibers and Na⁺, K⁺ of the solutions under the osmotic pressure. The synthetic fibers were swelled and then degraded faster with the presence of Na⁺ ion presented greater influence on degradability compared with K⁺ ion. The degradation results of a mechanical rupture of fibers due to excessive water uptake without the occurrence of any chemical changes in the spun alginates structure. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44396.     

超高相对分子质量PPTA树脂及其高模量芳纶的研究

对高相对分子质量聚对苯二甲酰对苯二胺(PPTA)树脂进行了表征,开展了添加超高相对分子质量PPTA树脂与普通相对分子质量PPTA树脂共混进行液晶纺丝得到高强度和高模量芳纶的结构表征与性能试验,同时对芳纶的力学性能与其PPTA树脂相对分子质量的关系进行了研究。结果表明,芳纶的力学性能与其PPTA聚合体的相对分子质量紧密相关,如果PPTA树脂的相对分子质量不够高,加上液晶纺丝和高模量热处理过程分子链的进一步降解,高模量芳纶的制备就无法实现。在系统研究PPTA聚合反应规律,特别是聚合诱导相互转变规律及其影响因素研究基础上,通过调控连续聚合的反应条件,在1 000 t/a连续聚合生产线上制备出比浓对数粘度高达9.2 dl/g的超高相对分子质量PPTA树脂;用超高相对分子质量PPTA树脂与通用级PPTA树脂(比浓对数粘度6.8 dl/g)混合进行纺丝,制备出高强度的芳纶,并进一步热处理得到高强度和高模量的芳纶。     

In situ modulus enhancement of polypropylene monofilament through blending with a liquid‐crystalline copolyester

An immiscible blend of poly(propylene) (PP) with a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer (TLCP, trade name Rodrun LC5000), a copolyester of 80/20 mol ratio of p‐hydroxy benzoic acid and polyethylene terephthalate was prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. The blend extrudate was fabricated as monofilament by using a single‐screw extruder equipped with a fiber line. The as‐spun filament was drawn at 120°C to enhance molecular orientation. Morphology, thermal, tensile, and dynamic mechanical properties of both as‐spun and drawn monofilaments were investigated. Almost continuously long TLCP fibers dispersed in PP matrix were obtained in the composite as‐spun monofilaments. The maximum modulus was found in 15 wt % TLCP/PP composite as‐spun filament, an increase of about 2.4 times that of the as‐spun neat PP. For the drawn filaments, the 10 wt % TLCP/PP composite showed a maximum modulus, an increase of about 1.5 times that of the drawn neat PP. The increase in the moduli was attributed not only to the reinforcement by TLCP fibrils with very high aspect ratio but also to the increases in PP crystallinity and molecular orientation through the drawing process. A remarkable improvement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the composite monofilaments was observed, especially in the high‐temperature region. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90:1337–1346, 2003     

Fluorescence turn‐on chemical sensor based on water‐soluble conjugated polymer/single‐walled carbon nanotube composite

A chemical sensor for methyl viologen (MV²⁺), based on a water‐soluble conjugated polymer/single‐walled carbon‐nanotube (SWNT) composite, was fabricated. Water‐soluble poly(m‐phenylene ethynylene) with sulfonic acid side‐chain groups (mPPE‐SO₃) was synthesized via a Pd‐catalyzed Sonogashira coupling reaction and used to prepare a highly stable mPPE‐SO₃/SWNT composite with strong π–π interactions in water. The relationship between the optical properties and sensing capability of the mPPE‐SO₃/SWNT composite in aqueous solution was investigated. The addition of MV²⁺ enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the mPPE‐SO₃/SWNT composite by inducing a conformational change of the polymer from a helical to a random‐coil structure. The water‐soluble mPPE‐SO₃/SWNT composite enabled highly sensitive fluorescence detection of MV²⁺ in aqueous solutions with no precipitation resulting from reaggregation of the SWNTs. This mPPE‐SO₃/SWNT composite sensor system is therefore an effective turn‐on chemical sensor for MV²⁺. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43301.     

Morphologies and electrical properties of electrospun poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐(R)‐3‐hydroxyvalerate]/ multiwalled carbon nanotubes fibers

Electrospinning process was used to fabricate fine fibers from poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐(R)‐3‐hydroxyvalerate] embedded with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Rotating disc collector was used to provide additional drawing force to stretch and align both the embedded MWCNTs and electrospun fibers themselves. Morphological observation revealed MWCNTs aligned to the fiber axis and protruding from the surface. To understand the electrical properties of the fiber, a single‐composite fiber has been deposited on a substrate, across multiple electrodes. Electrical conductivity of the single‐electrospun fiber with low MWCNT content of 0.2 wt % was calculated to be in a remarkable magnitude of about 2.07 Sm^?1. Electrical current flow spanning the fiber length of 1400 μm indicates that the presence of an interconnected network of MWCNTs exists within the fiber. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Enzymatic degradation of poly(L‐lactic acid) fibers: Effects of small drawing

The enzymatic degradation of poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers with different low draw ratios (1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 times) was investigated in tris‐HCl buffer solution (pH = 8.6) with proteinase K by the use of gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile testing. Surprisingly, even the small drawings (1.2 and 1.4 times) disturbed the proteinase K catalyzed enzymatic degradation of the PLLA fibers. This should have been because the enzyme could not attach to the extended (strained) chains in the amorphous regions of the uniaxially oriented PLLA fibers or could not catalyze the cleavage of the strained chains. The accumulation of crystalline residues formed as a result of selective cleavage, and removal of the amorphous chains was not observed, even for as‐spun PLLA fibers. This indicated the facile release of formed crystalline residues from the surface of the as‐spun PLLA fibers during enzymatic degradation. Such release may have been because the crystalline regions of the as‐spun PLLA fibers were oriented with their c axis parallel to the machine direction, as reported for biaxially oriented PLLA films. Gravimetry, SEM, and tensile testing could trace the enzymatic degradation of the PLLA fibers, although the enzymatic degradation of the PLLA fibers was untraceable by GPC and DSC. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2064–2071, 2007