The interfacial characteristics between bioactive glass (45S5 Bioglass) surfaces and poly(α-hydroxyacid) melts have been assessed by direct wetting measurements. In particular, the wettability of Bioglass powder by poly(D,Llactide) (PDLLA) and poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) was assessed by imbibition measurements. Additionally, the equilibrium contact angles of PDLLA and PLGA melts on a ...

Water-base pressure sensitive adhesives dominate the market of adhesives applied to paper. These materials are formulated as emulsions of acrylic polymers in water. Surfactants are used to stabilize the hydrophobic polymer particles. When water-based adhesives are dried, particles coalesce and surfactant segregates to interparticle domains that provide pathways for water to enter the adhesive f...

The adhesion and bending modulus of polybutadiene-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer vesicles made from a bidisperse mixture of polymers is measured using micropipette aspiration. The adhesion energy between biotinylated vesicles and avidin beads is modeled by incorporating the extension of the adhesive ligands above the surface brush of the vesicle according to the blob model of bidisperse p...

The adhesive performances of a PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive) are attributed to their viscoelastic properties. In this paper we analyze the viscoelastic behavior of different PSAs having substantially similar adhesive performance. Linear and non linear analyses were performed using small amplitude oscillatory shear tests and tensile stress-strain tests, respectively. It is shown that linear ...

A conductive epoxy-based shape memory polymer (SMP) is demonstrated using carbon black (CB) as a dopant for the purpose of creating an SMP dry adhesive system which can internally generate the heat required for activation. The electrical and mechanical properties of the CB/SMP blends for varying dopant concentrations are characterized. A composite adhesive is created to minimize surface contact...

Short peptide substrates with high specificity toward transglutaminase (TGase) enzyme were designed, characterized, and coupled to a biocompatible polymer, allowing for rapid enzymatic cross-linking of peptide-polymer conjugates into hydrogels. Eight acyl acceptor Lys-peptide substrates and three acyl donor Gln-peptide substrates were rationally designed and synthesized. The kinetic constants o...

.................................................................................................................................. iii CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... vi 1 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 1 1.1 Introduct...

We utilize a Monte Carlo simulation scheme based on the bond fluctuation model to simulate settlement of "soft" adhesive particles onto sinusoidally-corrugated substrates. Particles are composed of a hard inner core with a "soft" adhesive shell made of surface-grafted polymer chains. These chains adhere to surface lattice sites via pair wise non-specific interactions acting between the substrat...