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Polymers
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Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II
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Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 11384

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zilu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Interests: polymer physics; polymer reactions; polymer composite; graphene; computation; molecular simulation; 2D material; soft material
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer composites comprise a combination of regular polymer materials with other components, such as inorganic fillers (glass, carbon, metal particles/fibres/sheets, etc.), other polymeric components (Kevlar, cellulose, etc.) or even liquid/gases. These combinations, implemented through chemical/physical connection between different components, lead to rather complex phase structures at the micro/nanoscale and exhibit unique mechanical responses to external stimuli.

This Special Issue will present the latest findings from the research community in this field to promote a greater understanding and improved design of microscopic phase structures required for the obtainment of mechanical properties for many advanced applications.

Dr. Zilu Wang
Guest Editor

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

  • polymer composites
  • mechanical property
  • phase structure
  • filler
  • nanomaterial
  • smart material

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 6841 KiB  
Article
Crystallization-Controlled Structure and Thermal Properties of Biobased Poly(Ethylene2,5-Furandicarboxylate)
by Miroslaw Pluta, Joanna Bojda, Mariia Svyntkivska, Tomasz Makowski, Ele L. de Boer and Ewa Piorkowska
Polymers 2024, 16(21), 3052; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16213052 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 521
Abstract
Crystallization-controlled structure and thermal properties of biobased poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) were studied. The cold-crystallization temperature controlled the structure and thermal properties of the biobased PEF. The melting was complex and evidenced the presence of a significant fraction of less-stable crystals with a low [...] Read more.
Crystallization-controlled structure and thermal properties of biobased poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PEF) were studied. The cold-crystallization temperature controlled the structure and thermal properties of the biobased PEF. The melting was complex and evidenced the presence of a significant fraction of less-stable crystals with a low melting temperature that linearly increased with Tc, which formed already during the early stages of crystallization, together with those melting at a higher temperature. Low Tc resulted in the α’-phase formation, less crystallinity, and greater content of the rigid amorphous phase. At high Tc, the α-phase formed, higher crystallinity developed, the rigid amorphous phase content was lower, and the melting temperature of the less-stable crystals was higher; however, slight polymer degradation could have occurred. The applied thermal treatment altered the thermal behavior of PEF by shifting the melting of the less stable crystals to a significantly higher temperature. SEM examination revealed a spherulitic morphology. A lamellar order was evidenced with an average long period and small average lamella thickness, the latter about 3–3.5 nm, only slightly increasing with Tc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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25 pages, 12877 KiB  
Article
Restoration of Strength in Polyamide Woven Glass Fiber Organosheets by Hot Pressing: Case Study of Impact and Compression after Impact
by Mohammad Nazmus Saquib, Edwing Chaparro-Chavez, Christopher Morris, Kuthan Çelebi, Diego Pedrazzoli, Mingfu Zhang, Sergii G. Kravchenko and Oleksandr G. Kravchenko
Polymers 2024, 16(15), 2223; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16152223 - 5 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1112
Abstract
Thermoplastic composite organosheets (OSs) are increasingly recognized as a viable solution for automotive and aerospace structures, offering a range of benefits including cost-effectiveness through high-rate production, lightweight design, impact resistance, formability, and recyclability. This study examines the impact response, post-impact strength evaluation, and [...] Read more.
Thermoplastic composite organosheets (OSs) are increasingly recognized as a viable solution for automotive and aerospace structures, offering a range of benefits including cost-effectiveness through high-rate production, lightweight design, impact resistance, formability, and recyclability. This study examines the impact response, post-impact strength evaluation, and hot-pressing repair effectiveness of woven glass fiber nylon composite OSs across varying impact energy levels. Experimental investigations involved subjecting composite specimens to impact at varying energy levels using a drop-tower test rig, followed by compression-after-impact (CAI) tests. The results underscore the exceptional damage tolerance and improved residual compressive strength of the OSs compared to traditional thermoset composites. This enhancement was primarily attributed to the matrix’s ductility, which mitigated transverse crack propagation and significantly increased the amount of absorbed energy. To mitigate impact-induced damage, a localized hot-pressing repair approach was developed. This allowed to restore the post-impact strength of the OSs to pristine levels for impact energies below 40 J and by 83.6% for higher impact energies, when OS perforation was observed. The measured levels of post-repair strength demonstrate a successful restoration of OS strength over a wide range of impact energies, and despite limitations in achieving complete strength recovery above 40 J, hot-pressing repair emerges as a promising strategy for ensuring the longevity of thermoplastic composites through repairability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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11 pages, 4003 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Thermal Conductivity of High-Density Polyethylene Composites with Hybrid Fillers of Flaky and Spherical Boron Nitride Particles
by Zhenliang Gao, Yiding Wang, Baogang Zhang, Li Liu and Xianhu Liu
Polymers 2024, 16(2), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16020268 - 18 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1998
Abstract
The synergistic effect between different fillers plays a crucial role in determining the performance of composites. In this work, spherical boron nitride (BN) and flaky BN are used as hybrid fillers to improve the thermal conductivity (TC) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. A [...] Read more.
The synergistic effect between different fillers plays a crucial role in determining the performance of composites. In this work, spherical boron nitride (BN) and flaky BN are used as hybrid fillers to improve the thermal conductivity (TC) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. A series of HDPE composites were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio (1:0, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 0:1) of spherical BN and flaky BN. The SEM results indicate that the spherical BN (with a particle size of 3 μm) effectively filled the gaps between the flaky BN (with a particle size of 30 μm), leading to the formation of more continuous heat conduction paths with the composite. Remarkably, when the mass ratio of spherical BN to flaky BN was set to 1:4 (with a total BN filling amount of 30 wt%), the TC of the composite could reach up to 1.648 Wm−1K−1, which is obviously higher than that of the composite containing a single filler, realizing the synergistic effect of the hybrid fillers. In addition, the synergistic effect of fillers also affects the thermal stability and crystallization behavior of composites. This work is of great significance for optimizing the application of hybrid BN fillers in the field of thermal management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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23 pages, 6451 KiB  
Article
Tribological Investigation of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites against 52100 Chrome Alloy Steel Based on ELECTRE Decision-Making Method
by Corina Birleanu, Mircea Cioaza, Florina Serdean, Marius Pustan, Paul Bere and Glad Contiu
Polymers 2024, 16(1), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16010062 - 23 Dec 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1351
Abstract
Fibers play an important role when studying the tribological behavior of reinforced friction composites. The purpose of the current research is to develop a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) recipe with improved tribological properties as well as to find the composites with the [...] Read more.
Fibers play an important role when studying the tribological behavior of reinforced friction composites. The purpose of the current research is to develop a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) recipe with improved tribological properties as well as to find the composites with the optimal tribological behavior. A ball-on-disc tribometer was used to perform dry sliding friction testing, the obtained results were then analyzed with the ELECTRE (ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalite-elimination and choice translating the reality) method based on a utility matrix having process parameters the applied load, sliding velocity, and weight percentage of the fiber content. The ELECTRE method was chosen to find the optimal tribological parameters, with respect to more performance criteria, because it is one of the best multiple criteria decision-making methods. The optimal combination of parameters for the multi-response characteristics of the investigated friction composite was at an applied load of 10 N, a sliding velocity of 0.1 ms−1 and a 54% weight fiber content. The results showed that the addition of glass fiber (GF) content did not considerably improve the tribological behavior of the friction composites. In addition, from the nano focus–optical 3D scanning electron microscopy, images of the friction, tested friction and wear composites, plate formation, fiber-matrix delamination, fiber pull-out, and matrix cracking and damage, various wear mechanisms were identified. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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Review

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17 pages, 1653 KiB  
Review
Smart Composite Materials with Self-Healing Properties: A Review on Design and Applications
by Artemis Kontiza and Ioannis A. Kartsonakis
Polymers 2024, 16(15), 2115; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16152115 - 25 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4821
Abstract
Research on self-healing materials spans multiple academic disciplines and employs a variety of methodologies. Nature has been a major source of inspiration for developing self-healing materials and will likely continue to inspire innovative ideas in this field. This review article covers the principles [...] Read more.
Research on self-healing materials spans multiple academic disciplines and employs a variety of methodologies. Nature has been a major source of inspiration for developing self-healing materials and will likely continue to inspire innovative ideas in this field. This review article covers the principles of self-healing mechanisms, focusing on both autonomous and non-autonomous procedures. It explores both intrinsic and extrinsic self-healing abilities by considering their components, structures, and design. Additionally, a detailed analysis of the application of these materials across various sectors is provided, including aerospace, automotive, marine, energy, medical and healthcare, military, and construction. Finally, the review paper highlights the advancements in encapsulation technologies for microcapsules, their thermal stability, their mechanical properties, and the compatibility of healing agents with the matrix, which play a crucial role in the effectiveness of self-healing processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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25 pages, 15650 KiB  
Review
Recent Developments in Nanocomposite Membranes Based on Carbon Dots
by Shuheng He, Yiding Meng, Jiali Liu, Dali Huang, Yifang Mi and Rong Ma
Polymers 2024, 16(11), 1481; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16111481 - 23 May 2024
Viewed by 916
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) have aroused colossal attention in the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes ascribed to their ultra-small size, good dispersibility, biocompatibility, excellent fluorescence, facile synthesis, and ease of functionalization. Their unique properties could significantly improve membrane performance, including permeance, selectivity, and antifouling ability. [...] Read more.
Carbon dots (CDs) have aroused colossal attention in the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes ascribed to their ultra-small size, good dispersibility, biocompatibility, excellent fluorescence, facile synthesis, and ease of functionalization. Their unique properties could significantly improve membrane performance, including permeance, selectivity, and antifouling ability. In this review, we summarized the recent development of CDs-based nanocomposite membranes in many application areas. Specifically, we paid attention to the structural regulation and functionalization of CDs-based nanocomposite membranes by CDs. Thus, a detailed discussion about the relationship between the CDs’ properties and microstructures and the separation performance of the prepared membranes was presented, highlighting the advantages of CDs in designing high-performance separation membranes. In addition, the excellent optical and electric properties of CDs enable the nanocomposite membranes with multiple functions, which was also presented in this review. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II)
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