Modification and Functionalization of Polymers, Biopolymers, and Additives for Packaging Materials
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2024 | Viewed by 217
Special Issue Editors
Interests: functional foods; plant-based foods; dairy alternatives; biotransformation; by-products valorization; fermented products; bioactivity; probiotics; biopolymers; food microbiology; lactic acid bacteria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biomaterials; biocompatibility; polymeric biomaterials; nanocomposites; biomaterial science; material characterization; polymerization; polymeric materials; tissue regeneration; materials engineering
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Packaging materials play a key role in providing safety and shelf life for food, disposable medical products, and other sensitive goods. They are designed to provide protection against microorganisms, ionizing radiation, excessive migration of water and gas molecules, or loss of visual and functional properties of the packaged product while maintaining their continued integrity over time. However, the widespread use of conventional petroleum-based plastic packaging has led to serious environmental problems due to its non-biodegradable nature and post-use management issues. To address this problem, efforts are underway to explore and improve various strategies for developing sustainable packaging materials, including modification and functionalization of polymers, biopolymers, and additives. These approaches include incorporating additives, such as bioactive natural compounds or nanostructures, into packaging materials, as well as developing new synthetic polymers which are biodegradable and compostable.
In this Special Issue, we aim to provide an overview of recent developments in the modification and functionalization of polymers, biopolymers, and additives for sustainable packaging materials, with a focus on the mechanisms underlying the improved performance and environmental benefits of these materials. We welcome all articles focusing on the preparation, modification, and functionalization of polymers, biopolymers, and/or additives as packaging materials focusing on antimicrobial, antioxidant, protective against ionizing radiation, gas and moisture barrier, and performance enhancement properties. We also invite review articles and those highlighting challenges and future prospects in the field, as well as potential implications for industry and society.
Dr. Łukasz Łopusiewicz
Dr. Agnieszka Piegat
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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
- active packaging
- biopolymers
- bioactive additives
- sustainable packaging
- nanomaterials
- antimicrobial packaging
- antioxidant packaging
- bio-based materials
- functionalized packaging materials
- characteristics of improved packaging performance
