Strategies to Make Polymers Sustainable
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Polymer Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 5750
Special Issue Editor
Interests: metal organic frameworks; electrochemical energy storage; recyle of solid waste
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Among all chemical productions, polymers account for the largest percentages. They are currently manufactured at a rate of around 400 Mt annually, which shows a dramatic increase trend year by year. Unfortunately, most of the currently available polymers are produced from petroleum-based feedstocks, which are nonrenewable. On the other hand, the burden on the environment caused by waste polymers is becoming increasingly severe. In order to meet the requirements of the sustainable development goals, several important strategies to address these issues have emerged. Firstly, turning to carbon dioxide utilization technologies is a versatile tool used to replace virgin petrochemical feedstocks, either directly achieved by CO2-based chemistries or through biomass upgrading. Secondly, developing some green synthetic systems, such as molten salts, deep eutectic solvents, ionic liquids, and high-performance catalysts, has demonstrated great promise in the realization of energy efficiency during the production of polymers. Thirdly, the reuse/recycle of end-of-life polymers should be fully considered, endowing post-consumed polymers with reuse and/or recycle properties. Last but not least, artificial intelligence and machine learning offer versatile tools for scientists and engineers to design, synthesize, and predicate the properties of polymers to meet the requirements of sustainable development.
Considering the above context, we propose the launch of this Special Issue (strategies to Make Polymers Sustainable) of Polymers, where we aim to provide a platform to show the latest breakthroughs in sustainable polymers. Both original research and review articles are welcome to be submitted to this Special Issue. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Copolymerization of CO2 with olefins;
- Ring-opening copolymerization of cyclic epoxide and CO2;
- Green synthetic approaches to polymers;
- Lifecycle analysis of polymers;
- Utilization of post-consumed polymers;
- Treatment of end-of-life polymers;
- Machine learning in sustainable polymers.
Dr. Maiyong Zhu
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
- bio-based polymer
- recycling and reuse of polymers
- machine learning
- lifecycle analysis
- green synthetic approach
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
