Fluorescence microscopy tracking of dyes, nanoparticles and quantum dots during growth of polymer spherulites

Yang, Shen; Xie, Hui-Jie; Saba, Hina; Cseh, Liliana; Ungar, Goran

doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122246

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…We note, furthermore, that the dye concentration inside the spherulites is not uniform; it is the lowest in the center (black). This has already been noted previously in 2D fluorescence micrographs 16 , 25 and was tentatively attributed to a higher crystallinity of spherulite centers. However, the higher fluorescence away from the center is also partially due to the back diffusion of the dye from the boundaries after crystallization 16 .…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

“…For example, it had been assumed that as spherulite grows during polymer solidification, small NPs (<5 nm) could be excluded but larger ones would stay trapped within the spherulites, thus remaining as uniformly dispersed in the solid polymer as in the precursor melt. However, our preliminary 2D studies using labeled NPs have shown that, contrary to theoretical predictions, large NPs are to a considerable extent pushed ahead of growing spherulites and deposited at their boundaries 16 with potentially serious consequences for material integrity.…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

“…The darker spherulite centers are even more evident than in Fig. 1 , as the back-diffusing dye has not had a chance to reach them 16 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…A study by 2D FM of spherulite growth in NR-doped iPP and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is reported in ref. 16 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the study of nanocomposites it was the silica nanoparticles themselves that acted as the labels, 200 nm in diameter, highly monodisperse and chemically modified with a custom-synthesized NR derivative—see Supplementary Fig. S2 16 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bowls, vases and goblets—the microcrockery of polymer and nanocomposite morphology revealed by two-photon optical tomography

et al. 2021

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On the >1 µm scale the morphology of semicrystalline plastics like polyethylene or Nylon features spherulites, “shish-kebabs”, cylinddrites and other crystalline aggregates which strongly affect mechanical and other material properties. Current imaging techniques give only a 2D picture of these objects. Here we show how they can be visualized in 3D using fluorescent labels and confocal microscopy. As a result, we see spherulites in 3D, both in neat polymers and their nanocomposites, and observe how unevenly nanoparticles and other additives are distributed in the material. Images of i-polypropylene and biodegradable poly(lactic acid) reveal previously unsuspected morphologies such as “vases” and “goblets”, nonspherical “spherulites” and, unexpectedly, “shish-kebabs” grown from quiescent melt. Also surprisingly, in nanocomposite sheets spherulite nucleation is seen to be copied from one surface to another, mediated by crystallization-induced pressure drop and local melt-flow. These first results reveal unfamiliar modes of self-assembly in familiar plastics and open fresh perspectives on polymer microstructure.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 69%

“…The darker spherulite centers are even more evident than in Fig. 1 , as the back-diffusing dye has not had a chance to reach them 16 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…A study by 2D FM of spherulite growth in NR-doped iPP and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is reported in ref. 16 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bowls, vases and goblets—the microcrockery of polymer and nanocomposite morphology revealed by two-photon optical tomography

et al. 2021

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Fabrication of electrospun polyamide–weathered basalt nano-composite as a non-conventional membrane for basic and acid dye removal

et al. 2022

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In this study, an adsorptive electrospun polyamide membrane (ESPA) and electrospun polyamide–weathered basalt composite membrane (ESPA-WB) were prepared by an electrospinning process at room temperature. Hence, the WB structure was built as a polymeric membrane separation film in combination with the ESPA matrix as a composite nano-filtration membrane. Then, the ESPA and ESPA-WB membranes were characterized using BET surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To avoid cracks forming during the sintering process, the WB should be added in certain percentages. The microstructures of the prepared membranes were investigated to evaluate their efficiency for basic and acidic dyesʼ removal and their permeation flux. Compared with the ESPA, the ESPA-WB membrane combines the characteristics of WB and ESPA, which greatly enhances the performance of both methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes removal from synthetic wastewater. The outcomes of this study indicated that the dye uptake in the case of ESPA-WB is higher than that of ESPA, and it decreases with an increase in dye concentrations. The obtained membrane ESPA-WB showed both an excellent anti-dye fouling and a good rejection property for both dyes (i.e. 90% rejection for MB and 74% for MO) with no sign of contamination by the applied dyes. It was found that the structure of the ESPA-WB membrane contains a large number of several adsorption sites which leads to an increase in the removal rate of dyes. Hence, this study demonstrated a non-conventional strategy to prepare an effective adsorptive nano-composite membrane that can be applied as a highly recyclable one for the removal of organic dyes. Graphic abstract

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New development in polymeric materials characterization and modeling

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Azhari

Culsum

et al. 2024

Comprehensive Materials Processing

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Fluorescence microscopy tracking of dyes, nanoparticles and quantum dots during growth of polymer spherulites

Cited by 12 publications

References 59 publications

Bowls, vases and goblets—the microcrockery of polymer and nanocomposite morphology revealed by two-photon optical tomography

Bowls, vases and goblets—the microcrockery of polymer and nanocomposite morphology revealed by two-photon optical tomography

Fabrication of electrospun polyamide–weathered basalt nano-composite as a non-conventional membrane for basic and acid dye removal

New development in polymeric materials characterization and modeling

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