DNA ion complexes of anionic DNA and two forms of cationic surfactants with a sixteen-carbon alkyl chain in their tails were utilized to prepare their films using a hot-press molding. The surfactants were hexadecyl pyridinium chloride (HDPyCl) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMABr), which had different polar head groups of pyridinium and trimethylammonium cations, respectively. The ion complex powders of DNA-HDPy (D-HPy) or DNA-HDTMA (D-HTm) were converted to their free-standing films with the hot-press treatment. Both bulk structures were investigated and compared using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), a gas pycnometer, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and a tensile test. Further, antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus of the films were also evaluated since the surfactants are known to possess inhibition of microbial growth.

Miscibility characterization were performed on binary blends of aliphatic polyester with cellulose acetate (CA). Poly(ethylene succinate) (PES) and poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) were selected as aliphatic polyester components. Three samples of CA having different degrees of substitution (DS = 2.45, 2.70, 2.95) were used. Blend films of aliphatic polyester with CA were prepared from mixed polymer solutions by solvent evaporation. The estimation of the blend miscibility was carried out by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). From thermal data obtained by DSC analysis, it was found that PES was miscible with CA (DS = 2.45) and CA(DS = 2.70). However, it was immiscible with CA(DS = 2.95) and PBA was immiscible with all CAs. The isothermal crystallization behavior of PBA/cellulose ester blends was followed by POM. For blend samples of PES with CA(DS = 2.45), the radial growth rates of PES spherulites were depressed remarkably by increasing the amount of CA in the blends. Such depression of the crystal growth rate may be attributed to the diluent effect of CA, supporting the good miscibility of these blends. When the blend samples were prepared by using PES and CA(DS = 2.95) or PBA and CA(DS = 2.45), the radial growth rates of spherulites were almost constant regardless of the amount of CA in the blends, showing the immiscibility of these blends. From these results, it was assumed that good miscibility of PES/CA blends would be derived from the structural affinity of repeating unit of PES and acetyl side groups of CA.

Novel block copolymers consisting of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)/ poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) or P3HT / poly (ethylene glycol) (PEO) with a perylenediimide (PDI) unit at the junction between the segments were synthesized and utilized for donor materials in polymer solar cells. In the blend film of junction-modified block copolymer and [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), the PDI unit introduced at the junction of block copolymers assembled at the interface of donor/acceptor domains. A distinctive phase-separated morphology was created in the block copolymer blend film, which provided higher device performance compared with a conventional polymer blend system.

Applying synthetic dyes in textile dyeing may lead to severe environmental pollution due to liquid waste emissions; therefore, it is urgent to develop environmentally-friendly ecological dyes to minimize such damage. By using Pu’er tea extract (PTE) as a natural colorant to dye wool, this study created such bio-colored material in experiments, during which the thermal stability and antibacterial activity of wool both with and without PTE dyeing were also explored. Most importantly, it is proved that the dyed wool can deliver better color depth and fastness, with the dyeing ability considerably improved after ferrous sulfate (FeSO₄·7H₂O) mordant treatment as well. Furthermore, the inhibition rate of wool against Escherichia coli (E. coli) could reach 88.02 % and 90.25 % for direct dyeing and mordant dyeing, respectively, at a PTE concentration of 60 g/L, while the antibacterial rate remains above 70 % after 10 washing cycles of accelerated laundering. Another important phenomenon observed is that the thermal decomposition temperature of the wool dyed with PTE was increased, demonstrating that PTE, as a natural colorant, could improve the thermal stability of wool, in addition to stable dyeing properties.