polymer application for the improvement and modification of the bitumen used in roads surfaces has expanded in recent decades. the roads engineers and constructors, therefore, have used the modified bitumen in asphalts helping in this way to increase roads and pavements service life and improving the durability of the roads and asphalts. the bitumen used in asphalt mixture constitutes only a lo...

An HPLC-UV/MS method has been developed to identify and quantify flame retardants in post-consumer plastics from waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE). Atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation spectra of 15 brominated and phosphate-based flame retardants were recorded and interpreted. The method was applied to detect flame retardant additives in polymer extracts obtained from pressu...

Natural muscles have mechanical properties that conventional actuators do not possess. These natural machines show large strain, moderate stress, high efficiency and stability, fast response time, high power/weight ratio, long lifetime, etc. In the last years a great interest has arisen to develop materials that mimic natural mechanisms. Conducting polymers have an array of potential applicatio...

Polymer modified concrete (PMC) consists of Portland cement concrete with a polymer modifier. Its advantages are proper bonding strength to substrate concrete, high tensile and flexural strength and low amount of shrinkage and permeability. Using PMC overlays can be considered as a method for preservation of damaged concrete structures due to their suitable performance and durability. In this r...

To optimize the performance of polymer solar cells, various techniques have been developed and reported from various research fields. The introduction of processing additives in the polymer : PCBM bulkheterojunction solution is one of the efficient strategies used to improve the cell performance. Although numerous solvents have been presented as processing additives, an appropriate processing a...