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Special Issue "Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials"

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 3609

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Paola Rizzarelli

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CNR - Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB), Catania, Italy
Interests: biodegradable materials and composites; mass spectrometry; polymer degradation; characterization; food packaging; biodegradation test of plastic materials; drug delivery systems; waste management; bioplastics and circular economy
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Prof. Dr. Maria Chiara Mistretta

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Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, RU INSTM, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymer blends; nanocomposites; degradation; recycling
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Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia

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Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, RU INSTM, Viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymer processing; mechanical behaviour of polymer-based systems; rheological behaviour of polymer-based systems; green composites; biocomposites; nanocomposites; biodegradable polymers; polymer blends; degradation and recycling of polymer-based systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Engineered polymeric materials and composites with enhanced properties and performance are increasingly being investigated. Advanced polymers and composite materials have been developed for different applications. However, detailed characterization and degradation monitoring techniques are required to sustain their design as well as to broaden the applications of the old ones. In fact, the structural architectures, rheology, processing, mechanical and morphological properties, as well as degradation behavior are of outstanding importance for peculiar applications. Moreover, extensive research efforts must be devoted to developing materials that can provide valuable support in the fruitful transition toward a circular economy. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to provide an overview of current efforts and recent advances in the field of advanced polymers and composite materials, focusing on their properties and design. Topics include (but are not limited to):

Design, properties, and characterization of new advanced polymeric materials;
Structural and physical-chemical properties of polymeric composites, nanostructures, and nanomaterials;
Applications of advanced polymeric materials and composites;
Degradation and sustainability features of nanomaterials, polymers, and composites.

Original research papers, review articles, and short communications for this Special Issue are welcome.

Dr. Paola Rizzarelli
Prof. Dr. Maria Chiara Mistretta
Prof. Dr. Francesco Paolo La Mantia
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. Materials 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 2600 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

advanced polymers, composites, and nanocomposites
applications of advanced polymers and composite materials
rheology, mechanical, and morphological properties
processing
structural and physical-chemical characterization
degradation of nanomaterials, polymers, and composites
sustainability
materials and processes for a circular economy

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Crystallinity and Oscillatory Shear Rheology of Polyethylene Blends

Dorottya Nagy

and

Zoltán Weltsch

Materials 2023, 16(19), 6402; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16196402 (registering DOI) - 26 Sep 2023

Abstract

Crystallinity and rheological behavior are significant for processing semi-crystalline polymers with fine mechanical properties. There is always an economical need to create a less expensive new material with better properties. Non-isothermal crystallization and oscillatory shear rheology of different branch-type polyethylene–polyethylene blends were investigated. Samples of high-density and low-density polyethylene (HDPE/LDPE) (20/80, 40/60, 60/40 and 80/20 weight ratios) and two types of high-density and linear low-density polyethylene (HDPE/LLDPE) (40/60 and 60/40 weight ratios) were prepared via extrusion. The materials were tested by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at several cooling rates (5, 10, 20, 30 and 40°/min) and by oscillation rheometry (ARES G2) at low angular frequency range to prove their miscibility or immiscibility. It was found that the one-peak melting endotherm of the 80–20% HDPE-LDPE blend could indicate miscibility in the solid phase, while the other HDPE-LDPE blends with two-peak curves are partially or not miscible. In contrast, all the HDPE-LLDPE blends indicate co-crystallization, but the 40–60% HDPE-LLDPE butylene blend is probably immiscible. It was revealed that complex viscosity decreases with angular frequency: linearly for HD-LD blends and not linearly for HD-LLDPE blends. The complex viscosity shows linear behavior with composition for HD-LLDPE blends, while there is a positive–negative deviation for HD-LD blends. In the liquid phase, according to rheological measurements, the HDPE-LDPE blends are not or partially miscible, while the HDPE-LLDPE blends are probably miscible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials)

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Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Properties and Fracture Microstructure of Polycarbonate under High Strain Rate Tension

and

Materials 2023, 16(9), 3386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16093386 - 26 Apr 2023

Viewed by 613

Abstract

In this paper, static and dynamic tensile tests were conducted on two kinds of polycarbonate (HL6157 and A1225BK), combined with the digital image correlation (DIC), for guiding the development of the battery pack of new energy vehicles. The mechanical properties of polycarbonate at low-speed (0.01/s) and high-speed (1/s, 100/s) tension were investigated and the microstructure of the fracture for polycarbonate at different speed tensions was also investigated. The fracture microstructure of two kinds of materials was also investigated in this paper. The tension results showed that as the strain rate increased, the yield strength and modulus increased, and the yield strength of the two materials increased by 30% under high-speed tension. In addition, the fracture strain increase was greater than 10% as the strain rate increased. Meanwhile, for polycarbonate, the strain rate increased, and the fracture toughness increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials)

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Open AccessArticle

Effect of Cement Type and Water-to-Cement Ratio on Fresh Properties of Superabsorbent Polymer-Modified Cement Paste

Hasan Dilbas

Materials 2023, 16(7), 2614; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072614 - 25 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 516

Abstract

Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is a material with the ability to absorb liquid and desorb liquid from and to the environment, and it can ensure the internal curing of cementitious composites. Although the fresh state properties of SAP-modified mixtures (SAPCP) are affected and have been investigated nowadays, the rheological properties of SAPCP are still a virgin field and they are worth studying. Hence, the current study was aimed and conducted to observe what occurred if cements with different chemical compositions, various ratios of water/cement (w/c) and SAP were used together. Accordingly, CEM I 42.5R, CEM II/A-LL 42.5R and CEM IV/B (P) 32.5R were selected as binders in the mixtures, and w/c ratios were 0.40 and 0.50 for SAPCPs. In total, 24 mixtures were designed, produced and tested in the laboratory and spreading table tests, Vicate tests, viscosity tests and shear tests were conducted on the fresh state of the mixtures to observe the fresh behavior of SAPCPs. As a result, it was determined that the SAP, cement and w/c combinations considered in the article were effective on SAPCP fresh properties and rheology. However, it was determined that the use of high amounts of SAP in the mixture, high cement fineness and high oxide ratios in the cement (ratios of silicon dioxide/calcium oxide and aluminum oxide/calcium oxide) negatively affected not only the fresh state properties, but also the rheology. Moreover, the coexistence of the aforementioned negative conditions was the most unfavorable situation: high SAP ratio + high cement fineness + high oxide ratio in SAPCP. For these reasons, it was concluded that cement fineness and chemical composition should be taken into account in the rheology/workability-based design of SAPCPs. Then, the SAP content can be regulated for design purposes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials)

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Open AccessArticle

Polar Wax as Adhesion Promoter in Polymeric Blend Films for Durable Photovoltaic Encapsulants

and

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6751; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196751 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 926

Abstract

Technological developments in the solar photovoltaic field must guarantee the high performance and low deterioration of solar cells in order for solar power plants to be more efficient and competitive. The solar cell needs comprehensive protection offered by a polymeric encapsulant, which improves UV stability, reduces water and moisture absorption, reduces oxygen and vapor permeability and enhances mechanical resistance. Moreover, high transparency and adhesion yields improved the solar panel performance. The current work analyzes polymeric films based on poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) and polyolefin (PO) for photovoltaic encapsulant use (the high temperature resistance is improved by adding PO to EVA, as investigated and documented before). To enhance the mechanical resistance and optical properties of the investigated matrices, a crosslinking agent, an adhesion promoter and stabilizing agents have been incorporated in both EVA and EVA/PO systems. The adhesion promoter is a polar wax–silane-free agent; the absence of the silane function allows the integrity of the module to be maintained over time. All samples were characterized through mechanical and rheological analysis, and their long-term UV stability was investigated by accelerated ageing and by FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy. The obtained results suggest that the presence of a crosslinking agent, an adhesion promoter and stabilizers in EVA/PO-based films allows for the achievement of the required features for the encapsulants, showing mechanical and rheological behavior similar to those of EVA containing the same additives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials)

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Open AccessArticle

Ecofriendly Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposite Films with Improved Photo-Oxidative Resistance

Elisabetta Morici

Giulia Infurna

and

Nadka Tz. Dintcheva

Materials 2022, 15(16), 5778; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15165778 - 21 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1008

Abstract

The interest towards high performance biopolymer-based materials increases continuously and, to guarantee appropriately industrial applications, the photo-oxidative resistance and stability of these materials must be adequately addressed. In this study, innovative biopolymer-based nanocomposites, i.e., Polyamide 11 (PA11), containing ad-hoc modified Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH), were successfully formulated and characterized. Particularly, LDH were considered carriers for hindered amine light stabilizing molecules, so two different hindered amine moieties (HALS1 and HALS2) were anchored on LDH layered internal structures and/or outer surfaces. The presence of HALS1 and HALS2 in LDH were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Then, the novel LDH-HALS nanofillers (here named LDH-HALS1 and LDH-HALS2) were introduced into a PA11 matrix by melt mixing at 5 wt.%; the produced nanocomposites were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, rheological, and morphological analysis. All obtained results suggest that the LDH-HALS1/HALS2 nanofillers were very well dispersed into the PA11 matrix. Additionally, the photo-oxidative resistance of the PA11-based nanocomposite films was evaluated by subjecting thin films to UVB exposure and the degradation process was monitored by spectroscopic analysis over time. The photo-oxidative resistance of the PA11/LDH-HALS1/HALS2 was compared to that of PA11-based nanocomposites containing unmodified LDH and the commercial hindered amine UV-stabilizer (Cyasorb^® UV-3853). It was established that by anchoring the hindered amine moieties to the LDH, the PA11 nanocomposites were successfully protected against UVB exposure. This was because the hindered amine light stabilizing molecules were available to act at the critical zone where the degradation phenomena occur, which is at the interface between the matrix and the inorganic particles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties, Design and Structure of Advanced Polymers and Composite Materials)

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