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Polymers
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications
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Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 3502

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anna Boczkowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: composites; polymers processing; characterization of polymer-based composites; fibre reinforced plastics, nanocomposites, conductive polymers; epoxy-bsaed composites; thermoplastic processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bartlomiej Przybyszewski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warszawa, Poland
Interests: composites; polymer-based composites; polymers processing; nanocomposites; fibre reinforced plastics; polymer-based coatings; nanocomposite coatings; anti-icing coatings; polymer-based hydrophobic materials; epoxy-based hydrophobic coatings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers and their composites exhibit immense potential for different functional applications due to their unique chemical and physical properties. Polymer composites, formed by combining polymers with functional additives or reinforcements, exhibit an unparalleled combination of strength, lightweight characteristics, and tailored functionalities. This unique combination of properties makes them ideal for applications in aerospace, automotive, construction, and numerous other industries. Their ability to precisely tune functional properties, such as electrical conductivity, thermal resistance, hydrophobicity, anti-icing, or flame retardancy, allows for tailored solutions that meet specific application requirements.

Polymer composites with functional properties are also esteemed for their corrosion resistance, contributing to extended product lifecycles and reduced maintenance costs. Moreover, their design flexibility and ease of processing enable the creation of complex shapes and structures, fostering innovation in product design and manufacturing.

This Special Issue, “Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications”, focuses on recent developments in the modeling, manufacturing, modification, and characterization of polymers and polymer-based composites with functional properties used in different demanding sectors like aviation, automotive, offshore, or wind energy production. Researchers interested in this field are invited to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting original research papers or comprehensive reviews.

Prof. Dr. Anna Boczkowska
Dr. Bartlomiej Przybyszewski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional polymers
  • functional composites
  • polymer composites
  • nanocomposites
  • smart polymers
  • emerging polymer technologies
  • functional hybrid materials
  • advanced composites

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 8190 KiB  
Article
Effect of Melamine Formaldehyde Resin Encapsulated UV Acrylic Resin Primer Microcapsules on the Properties of UV Primer Coating
by Yuming Zou, Yongxin Xia and Xiaoxing Yan
Polymers 2024, 16(16), 2308; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16162308 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 903
Abstract
Ultra-Violet (UV) coatings are widely adaptable of substrates and produce low emissions of volatile organic compounds. UV coatings can extend service life by adding self-healing microcapsules that restore integrity after sustaining damage. In this study, UV coating was used as a core material; [...] Read more.
Ultra-Violet (UV) coatings are widely adaptable of substrates and produce low emissions of volatile organic compounds. UV coatings can extend service life by adding self-healing microcapsules that restore integrity after sustaining damage. In this study, UV coating was used as a core material; microcapsules were produced and added to the UV coating to enhance its self-healing property, providing a good protection for both the UV coating and the substrate. UV primer microcapsules were prepared with UV primer as the core material and melamine formaldehyde resin as the wall material. The UV primer containing more than 98.0% solids content was mainly composed of epoxy acrylic resin, polyester acrylic resin, trihydroxy methacrylate, trimethyl methacrylate, and photo initiator. The preparation process of the UV primer microcapsules was optimized. Further, the UV coating was prepared with better UV primer microcapsules, and the effects of the UV primer microcapsules alongside the comprehensive properties of the coating were studied. The best preparation process for the UV primer microcapsules was as follows: the wall-core mass ratio was 1:0.50, Triton X-100 and Span-20 as emulsifiers with an HLB value of 10.04, the microcapsule reaction temperature was 70 °C, and the reaction time of the was 3.0 h. When the quantity of the UV primer microcapsules increased in the coating, color difference ΔE of the coating increased, gloss decreased, transmittance decreased, elongation at break increased and then decreased, roughness increased, and self-healing rate first increased and then decreased. When the addition of the UV primer microcapsules reached 2.0%, the color difference ΔE of the coating was 1.71, the gloss was 106.63 GU, the transmittance was 78.80%, the elongation at break was 3.62%, the roughness was 0.204 μm, and the self-healing rate was 28.56%, which were the best comprehensive properties of the UV primer. To improve the comprehensive properties of the UV coatings, the UV coatings were modified by a microcapsule technology, which gave the UV coatings a better self-healing property. The application range of microcapsules for the UV coatings was broadened. Based on the previous research of microcapsules in UV coatings, the results further refined the study of the effects of adding self-healing microcapsules to UV coatings using the UV coating itself as the core material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications)
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25 pages, 15644 KiB  
Article
Biological and Physicochemical Analysis of Sr-Doped Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan Composite Layers
by Maria Elena Zarif, Bogdan Bita, Sasa Alexandra Yehia-Alexe, Irina Negut, Gratiela Gradisteanu Pircalabioru, Ecaterina Andronescu and Andreea Groza
Polymers 2024, 16(13), 1922; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16131922 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 981
Abstract
In this work results are presented on the evaluation of HAp, HApSr, HAp_CS, and HApSr_CS layers deposited on Ti substrates regarding L929 cell viability and cytotoxicity as well as antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, in connection with their physicochemical properties. The HAp [...] Read more.
In this work results are presented on the evaluation of HAp, HApSr, HAp_CS, and HApSr_CS layers deposited on Ti substrates regarding L929 cell viability and cytotoxicity as well as antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, in connection with their physicochemical properties. The HAp and HApSr layers generated by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique were further covered with chitosan by a matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation technique. During the plasma depositions, the Ti substrates were heated externally by a home-made oven above 100 °C. The HApSr_CS layers generated on the unpolished Ti substrates at 100 °C and 400 °C showed the highest biocompatibility properties and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The morphology of the layer surfaces, revealed by scanning electron microscopy, is dependent on substrate temperature and substrate surface roughness. The optically polished surfaces of Ti substrates revealed grain-like and microchannel structure morphologies of the layers deposited at 25 °C substrate temperature and 400 °C, respectively. Chitosan has no major influence on HAp and HApSr layer surface morphologies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated the presence of Ca 2p3/2 peak characteristic of the HAp structure even in the case of the HApSr_CS samples generated at a 400 °C substrate temperature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy investigations showed shifts in the wavenumber positions of the P-O absorption bands as a function of Sr or chitosan presence in the HAp layers generated at 25, 100, and 400 °C substrate temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications)
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26 pages, 14149 KiB  
Article
Detection of Destructive Processes and Assessment of Deformations in PP-Modified Concrete in an Air-Dry State and Exposed to Fire Temperatures Using the Acoustic Emission Method, Numerical Analysis and Digital Image Correlation
by Anna Adamczak-Bugno, Sebastian Lipiec, Peter Koteš, František Bahleda and Jakub Adamczak
Polymers 2024, 16(8), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16081161 - 20 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1141
Abstract
This article presents the results of tests carried out to assess the condition of PP-modified concrete. The tests were carried out on samples previously stored at ambient temperature and exposed to temperatures corresponding to fire conditions—300 °C, 450 °C, and 600 °C. Axial [...] Read more.
This article presents the results of tests carried out to assess the condition of PP-modified concrete. The tests were carried out on samples previously stored at ambient temperature and exposed to temperatures corresponding to fire conditions—300 °C, 450 °C, and 600 °C. Axial compression tests of cube-shaped samples and three-point bending of beams were carried out. During strength tests, acoustic emission (AE) signals were recorded and the force and deformation were measured. Recorded AE events were clustered using the k-means algorithm. The analysis of the test results allowed for the identification of signals characteristic of the individual stages of the material destruction process. Differences in the methods of destruction of samples stored in ambient conditions and those exposed to fire temperatures were also indicated. While loading the samples, measurements were carried out using the digital image correlation (DIC) method, which enabled the determination of displacements. Based on the results of the laboratory tests, a numerical model was developed. The results obtained using different research methods (DIC and FEM) were compared. Tomographic examinations and observations of the microstructure of the tested materials were also carried out. The analyses carried out allowed for a reliable assessment of the possibility of using the acoustic emission method to detect destructive processes and assess the technical condition of PP-modified concrete. It was confirmed that the acoustic emission method, due to differences at low load levels, can be a useful technique for assessing the condition of PP-modified concrete after exposure to fire temperatures. So far, no research directions in a similar field have been identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Polymer Composites for Functional Applications)
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