RATIONALE Polymer-based surface coatings in outdoor applications experience accelerated degradation due to exposure to solar radiation, oxygen and atmospheric pollutants. These deleterious agents cause undesirable changes to the aesthetic and mechanical properties of the polymer, reducing its lifetime. The use of antioxidants such as hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) retards these degrada...

Porous hydrogels of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) have been shown to facilitate vascularized tissue formation. However, PEG hydrogels exhibit limited degradation under physiological conditions which hinders their ultimate applicability for tissue engineering therapies. Introduction of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) chains into the PEG backbone results in copolymers that exhibit degradation via hydrol...

The design of composite tissue scaffolds containing an extracellular matrix (ECM) and synthetic polymer fibers is a new approach to create bioactive scaffolds that can enhance cell function. Currently, studies investigating the effects of ECM-deposition and decellularization on polymer degradation are still lacking, as are data on optimizing the stability of the ECM-containing composite scaffol...

Results of recent experiments that clarify the effects of mechanical degradation and viscoelastic behavior on the flow of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions through porous media are presented. From these results, a simple model that may be used to predict injectivity of polyacrylamide solutions is developed. Injection pressures for linear corefloods are shown to be separable into two...

In this review paper the current state of research into the physical degradation of polymer films is elucidated. Modern applications of polymer films and the implication of their degradation are discussed. Recent investigations into solid interactions such as abrasion, adhesion, fatigue and other failure modes as well as plasma and photonic interactions are examined. This investigation highligh...