Poly（ether ether ketone）（ PEEK） is one of the super engineering plastics with high thermal stability, and excellent mechanical properties, as well as great toughness and organic solvent resistance. On the other hand, PEEK has large disadvantages such as poor adhesion properties and low processability. For the improvement of these disadvantages of PEEK, the chemical modification methods of its surface and bulk have been suggested. However, the thermal stability and organic solvent resistance of PEEK make the chemical modification of PEEK difficult. From the reactivity of the chemical structure of PEEK, the chemical modification is categorized into two; one is a reaction of the aromatic rings and the other is a reaction at the carbonyl groups. The reaction of the aromatic rings is nucleophilic aromatic substitution such as Friedel Crafts reaction. Iminization, acetalization, reduction reactions and surface graft polymerization are included in the reactions at the carbonyl groups. These developments of the chemical modification of PEEK have led to the fundamental chemical analyses of PEEK for the deeper insight on its molecular behavior, the covalent bond adhesion with high adhesion strength, the increase of biocompatibility for the biomaterial application, and the demonstration of novel molding process of PEEK.

Transdermal patches are one of pharmaceutical dosage forms, and their adhesive properties such as ease of administration and difficulty in peeling off during medication tend to affect patients’ adherence to treatment. Depending on the stickiness of the products, some patients prefer to use brand-name drugs rather than generic drugs, and vice versa. Transdermal patches are a type of adhesive products, but have some aspects that are different from industrial tapes: First, they must be harmless to human body. For this reason, the adhesives that can be used are very limited. Second, many of them are small in size. Since quality tests are performed using the final product, the adhesion test methods applicable to small transdermal patches are limited. This article introduces the types of patches, the excipients used in adhesives, the adhesive properties of formulations, and how to evaluate the properties, while briefly explaining the pharmaceutical- specific conditions and regulations.

Crosslinked poly（n-butyl acrylate-acrylic acid）（ A） and crosslinked poly（2-ethylhexyl acrylate-acrylic acid） random copolymers（ B） were analyzed by a dynamic mechanical analysis（ DMA） and ¹H pulse nuclear magnetic resonance（ pulse NMR） spectroscopy. From DMA, the storage modulus（ G'） at rubbery plateau region was A > B and dependent on the crosslinking agent content. The G' shows the molecular mobility of polymer chain. In the pulse NMR analysis, the temperature which relaxation starts was dependent on the glass transition temperature（ T_g）, namely the intermolecular force. It was independent on the crosslinking agent content. The temperature dependence of tack for A and B was measured by a probe tack test. The tack measured above 0 ℃ was influenced by a contact time and a crosslinking agent content. It was B > A. It was explained by the better wettability for B than A caused by the difference of molecular mobility shown by G". The rising of tack begins below 0 ℃ was more gradual for B than A. This tendency was good accordance with the relaxation starting around T_g measured by pulse NMR. Using of both data for the DMA and the pulse NMR was useful to the analysis of the tack properties.

Controlled/living radical polymerization（ CLRP） is a powerful approach to create a wide range of functional polymers possessing pre-determined molecular weights and complex molecular architectures. Recently, enormous efforts have been made for development of CLRP in emulsion polymerization systems since the system comprises multiple different phases including monomer droplets, micelles（ particles）, and aqueous media. In this review, recent developments of organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization（ TERP） in emulsion polymerization systems（ emulsion TERP） are described. It has been clarified that the control of particle nucleation step is key of successful polymerization in the emulsion TERP. The effects of various polymerization conditions（ temperatures, stirring rates, monomer hydrophilicity, and catalyst hydrophilicity） on the polymerization control as well as particle nucleation were investigated. Furthermore, the synthesis of well-defined ultra-high molecular weight polystyrene was also demonstrated by taking advantages derived from the radical segregation effect of emulsion TERP.