@article{65049,
  abstract     = {{<jats:p>The degradation of polypropylene (PP) through thermal and mechanical stress, as well as the influence of oxygen, are unavoidable when processing on a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. In previous studies, a mathematical model was developed to predict the degradation while compounding on different twin-screw extruder sizes. Additionally, the examination of filled PPs was conducted. To this end, a range of operating parameters and extruder sizes were used to process PP, and the molar mass was then determined by melt flow rate (MFR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurements to derive the degree of degradation. The model was then modified by adjusting the sensitivity parameters to allow the degradation behavior of the PPs to be described independently of extruder size. Consistent with prior research, comprehensive measurements of a PP/titanium dioxide (TiO2) compound revealed that, with a few exceptions, increasing temperatures and screw speeds and decreasing throughputs generally resulted in higher degradation. However, the application of the model to the compounds did not achieve good agreement with the measured degradation, indicating different degradation conditions due to the different thermodynamic and rheological properties of the compounds.</jats:p>}},
  author       = {{Albrecht, Paul and Altepeter, Matthias and Brüning, Florian}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  number       = {{11}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Degradation of Polypropylene and Polypropylene Compounds on Co-Rotating Twin-Screw Extruders}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym17111509}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

@article{60210,
  abstract     = {{<jats:p>Currently, the need for resource efficiency and CO2 reduction is growing in industrial production, particularly in the automotive sector. To address this, the industry is focusing on lightweight components that reduce weight without compromising mechanical properties, which are essential for passenger safety. Hybrid designs offer an effective solution by combining weight reduction with improved mechanical performance and functional integration. This study focuses on a one-step manufacturing process that integrates forming and bonding of hybrid systems using compression molding. This approach reduces production time and costs compared to traditional methods. Conventional Post-Mold Assembly (PMA) processes require two separate steps to combine fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) structures with metal components. In contrast, the novel In-Mold Assembly (IMA) process developed in this study combines forming and bonding in a single step. In the IMA process, glass-mat-reinforced thermoplastic (GMT) is simultaneously formed and bonded between two metal belts during compression molding. The GMT core provides stiffening and load transmission between the metal belts, which handle tensile and compressive stresses. This method allows to produce hybrid structures with optimized material distribution for load-bearing and functional performance. The process was validated by producing a lightweight hybrid brake pedal. Demonstrating its potential for efficient and sustainable automotive production, the developed hybrid brake pedal achieved a 35% weight reduction compared to the steel reference while maintaining mechanical performance under quasi-static loading</jats:p>}},
  author       = {{Chalicheemalapalli Jayasankar, Deviprasad and Stallmeister, Tim and Lückenkötter, Julian Janick Stefan and Tröster, Thomas and Marten, Thorsten}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  number       = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Process Development for Hybrid Brake Pedals Using Compression Molding with Integrated In-Mold Assembly}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym17121644}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}

@article{64858,
  abstract     = {{<jats:p>Simulation models are used to design extruders in the polymer processing industry. This eliminates the need for prototypes and reduces development time for extruders and, in particular, extrusion screws. These programs simulate, among other process parameters, the temperature and pressure curves in the extruder. At present, it is not possible to predict the resulting melt quality from these results. This paper presents a simulation model for predicting the melt quality in the extrusion process. Previous work has shown correlations between material and thermal homogeneity and the screw performance index. As a result, the screw performance index can be used as a target value for the model to be developed. The results of the simulations were used as input variables, and with the help of artificial intelligence—more precisely, machine learning—a linear regression model was built. Finally, the correlation between the process parameters and the melt quality was determined, and the quality of the model was evaluated.</jats:p>}},
  author       = {{Trienens, Dorte and Schöppner, Volker and Krause, Peter and Bäck, Thomas and Tsi-Nda Lontsi, Seraphin and Budde, Finn}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Method Development for the Prediction of Melt Quality in the Extrusion Process}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym16091197}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}

@article{48743,
  author       = {{Schöppner, Volker and Altepeter, Matthias and Schall, Christoph Wilhelm Theodor and Wanke, Sven and Kley, Marina}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  pages        = {{10}},
  title        = {{{Material-Preserving Extrusion of Polyamide on a Twin-Screw Extruder}}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}

@article{34247,
  abstract     = {{The paper presents research regarding a thermally supported multi-material clinching process (hotclinching) for metal and thermoplastic composite (TPC) sheets: an experimental approach to investigate the flow pressing phenomena during joining. Therefore, an experimental setup is developed to compress the TPC-specimens in out-of-plane direction with different initial TPC thicknesses and varying temperature levels. The deformed specimens are analyzed with computed tomography to investigate the resultant inner material structure at different compaction levels. The results are compared in terms of force-compaction-curves and occurring phenomena during compaction. The change of the material structure is characterized by sliding phenomena and crack initiation and growth.}},
  author       = {{Gröger, Benjamin and Römisch, David and Kraus, Martin and Troschitz, Juliane and Füßel, René and Merklein, Marion and Gude, Maik}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  keywords     = {{Polymers and Plastics, General Chemistry}},
  number       = {{22}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Warmforming Flow Pressing Characteristics of Continuous Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym14225039}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}

@article{34733,
  abstract     = {{<jats:p>Due to their valuable properties (low weight, and good thermal and mechanical properties), glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics are becoming increasingly important. Fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are mainly manufactured by injection molding and extrusion, whereby the extrusion compounding process is primarily used to produce fiber-filled granulates. Reproducible production of high-quality components requires a granulate in which the fiber length is even and high. However, the extrusion process leads to the fact that fiber breakages can occur during processing. To enable a significant quality enhancement, experimentally validated modeling is required. In this study, short glass fiber reinforced thermoplastics (polypropylene) were produced on two different twin-screw extruders. Therefore, the machine-specific process behavior is of major interest regarding its influence. First, the fiber length change after processing was determined by experimental investigations and then simulated with the SIGMA simulation software. By comparing the simulation and experimental tests, important insights could be gained and the effects on fiber lengths could be determined in advance. The resulting fiber lengths and distributions were different, not only for different screw configurations (SC), but also for the same screw configurations on different twin-screw extruders. This may have been due to manufacturer-specific tolerances.</jats:p>}},
  author       = {{Rüppel, Annette and Wolff, Susanne and Oldemeier, Jan Philipp and Schöppner, Volker and Heim, Hans-Peter}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  keywords     = {{Polymers and Plastics, General Chemistry}},
  number       = {{15}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Influence of Processing Glass-Fiber Filled Plastics on Different Twin-Screw Extruders and Varying Screw Designs on Fiber Length and Particle Distribution}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym14153113}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}

@article{23847,
  author       = {{Yu, Xiaoqian and Herberg, Artjom and Kuckling, Dirk}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  number       = {{10}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI}},
  title        = {{{Micellar Organocatalysis Using Smart Polymer Supports: Influence of Thermoresponsive Self-Assembly on Catalytic Activity}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym12102265}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}

@article{45183,
  abstract     = {{<jats:p>We investigated the effect of fluorinated molecules on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers by force-field molecular dynamics simulations. In the first step, we developed all-atom force-field parameters for additive molecules in membranes to enable an accurate description of those systems. On the basis of this force field, we performed extensive simulations of various bilayer systems containing different additives. The additive molecules were chosen to be of different size and shape, and they included small molecules such as perfluorinated alcohols, but also more complex molecules. From these simulations, we investigated the structural and dynamic effects of the additives on the membrane properties, as well as the behavior of the additive molecules themselves. Our results are in good agreement with other theoretical and experimental studies, and they contribute to a microscopic understanding of interactions, which might be used to specifically tune membrane properties by additives in the future.</jats:p>}},
  author       = {{Peschel, Christopher and Brehm, Martin and Sebastiani, Daniel}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  keywords     = {{Polymers and Plastics, General Chemistry}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Polyphilic Interactions as Structural Driving Force Investigated by Molecular Dynamics Simulation (Project 7)}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym9090445}},
  volume       = {{9}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}

@article{41840,
  author       = {{Goerigk, Guenter and Lages, Sebastian and Huber, Klaus}},
  issn         = {{2073-4360}},
  journal      = {{Polymers}},
  keywords     = {{Polymers and Plastics, General Chemistry}},
  number       = {{3}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  title        = {{{Systematic Limitations in Concentration Analysis via Anomalous Small-Angle X-ray Scattering in the Small Structure Limit}}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/polym8030085}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}