An Account on Functional Polymer Composite for Multivariant Application: A Mechanistic Approach

Abstract

The presented article reports a detailed review of the polymer composite and its applications in multifaceted areas. The novelty of the report is in establishing the mechanistic overview on the functionalization of polymer for selective applications. The most important and established application of polymer is in sensing, polymer electrolyte, biomedical application, point of care application etc. The utilization of functional polymer in fluorescence thermometers is dependent on the maintenance of their lower critical solubility temperature. Polyelectrolytes like conducting polymers are widely applied for chemo sensing applications. The primary mechanism for the functionality of these conducting polymers is the presence of altering single and double bonds which enables the thorough flow of charge within the matrix system. Furthermore, the macromolecular synthetic polymer is subjected to functionalization through composite upon combing with specific salts and filler components. The addition of unreactive/reactive filler components in minute amounts is reported to significantly reduce the polarization loss and increase the cyclability of the matrix when applied to solid-state devices like sensors, fuel cells for stationary and mobile applications, etc. Fuels cells being an example of renewable energy is reported to attract the modern market with emphasis on polymer membrane-based system wherein sulphonic acid-based electrolyte membrane act as the ionic electrolyte conductor. The mechanism of ion conduction within the polymer matrix plays an important role in the application in solid-state devices like sensors, fuel cells, batteries, etc. The review briefly explains the role of ionic conduction as explained using two primary mechanisms like Arrhenius and Vogel Tammann Fulcher. Finally, the role of polymer bio composites is discussed in light of biomedical applications.