Special Issue "Eco-Friendly Polymer Composites"
Materials consisting of combinations of (various kinds of) polymers and other types of soft-matter components that are eco-friendly, which can for example be recycled or are degradable, may be referred to as eco-polymer composites (ePCs). Examples of such composite materials are cellulose-based nanofibers and nanocrystals, which are today partially replacing plastic bags and packaging materials, and several types of disposable medical products (such as gloves, masks, pads, and gowns). There will certainly be an increasing demand for low-cost large-scale production of ePCs in a wide variety of applications.
There are several challenges in the design and mass production of ePCs. From a fundamental scientific point-of-view, novel composites should be designed with many similar properties to those of well-known polymeric materials used today. Such properties typically include elastic properties, long-term stability against stress exposure, electric conductivity, flow properties of paste-like substances, and stability against various kinds of chemicals. The replacement of these well-known polymeric materials by ePCs requires a major scientific effort. To apply these new composite materials in daily use, it is first needed to confirm that they can be produced in large quantities at low cost. The corresponding upscaling of the synthesis of ePCs toward industrial quantities is a second highly non-trivial scientific challenge.
This Special Issue on “Eco-friendly Polymer Composites” welcomes papers addressing the design/characterization/properties of novel polymer–composite materials that might be useful for future use as eco-friendly polymer–composite materials, and/or addressing the upscaling of the synthesis of such materials.
Submission deadline: May. 15, 2021.
Dr. Kyongok Kang (k.kang@fz-juelich.de)
Guest Editor
Polymers
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers/special_issues/eco_polym_compos
