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The article titled "Topical section 'Advanced Testing of Soft Polymer Materials'" discusses the importance of using advanced testing methods to characterize and analyze soft polymer materials. The increasing demand for enhanced properties and capabilities in various industries, such as e-mobility, energy generation, information technology, soft robotics, and medical engineering, has led to the need for predictive and advanced laboratory testing. The article emphasizes the importance of accuracy, relevance, productivity, and cost-effectiveness in laboratory testing, as well as the development of new concepts for soft polymeric materials, including nanotechnology, self-healing, and eco-design. The scope of the article includes the development and application of advanced testing methods for chemical, rheological, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and magnetic analysis, as well as concepts for predictive testing and realistic load simulation. The article highlights the potential of simulation tools and artificial intelligence in predicting the behavior and durability of soft polymer materials. [Extracted from the article]

In this paper, a self-repairing polyurethane without external stimulation was synthesized. First, a reversible acyl hydrazone bond was introduced into the polyurethane molecular chain. The bond could be dynamically reversible under acidic stimulation to repair the material damage. After that, different contents of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate components were added to modify the material in the synthesis, and its performance was compared to pure polyurethane (PU-0). The polymer was tested using digital viscometer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), tensile test, etc. The results showed that the addition of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate can promote the healing of the material, so that the synthetic polyurethane material can be repaired to a certain extent without external stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condensed tannins extracted from the Pinus radiata bark (PRTs) were used as a replacement for phenol in the synthesis of resol-type phenolic resins (FRs) and tested as polymer matrix in carbon nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced composite materials. The PRTs used herein contained a phenol and lignin content of 31 (Eq/L) and 35 (%w/w), respectively. The molecular weights of these polyphenols indicated the presence of 16 flavonoid units. Tannin resins were synthesized, and their characteristics were compared with those of the synthesized FRs using a formaldehyde/phenol ratio of (1.6/1.0), which has the highest total solids content. The results showed that the gel time and useful life of the resins decreased with the addition of the tannins, while there was no significant variation in the degradation temperature with varying FR contents. The mechanical properties of the CNF-reinforced composite materials were determined by DMA, and the results showed an increase of 1000 MPa, due to the better distribution of the fibers in the matrix. The modulus (E') in the reinforced composite materials with tannin resins was 2322 MPa and 1803 MPa without tannins, while modulus E¨ for composite materials doubled for resins with tannins. Tannins improved the dispersion of CNTs and the matrix-filled interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]