Polymer Processing and Engineering
A section of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).
Section Information
Polymer processing is commonly defined as the “activity performed on polymeric materials to increase their usefulness”. It involves not only the shaping but also the synthesis, transformation, compounding, functionalization, and stabilization of materials. The combination of these operations determines the final properties and performance of any polymeric product: “Polymer, Processing and Performance all go hand in hand and cannot be decoupled”. Today the development of new materials with improved properties and easy processability is particularly urgent because it offers relief to the environment and increases the acceptance of plastic products. New materials and products cannot occur without improving existing machines, which can even lead to radically new manufacturing processes. The past decade has seen great progress in the design and control of polymer processing operations along with the development of innovative products and fabrication methods. Most of these successes are scattered throughout a wide scientific and technical literature. The purpose of this section is to coherently collect these studies and present them to a wide industrial and academic community.
Topics include, but are not limited to the following:
- New process development
- New materials, additives, and fillers
- Reactive extrusion and co-extrusion
- Mixing and blending
- Long-fiber composites
- Composites pultrusion and laminates
- Fiber spinning and electrospinning
- Film casting and film blowing
- Blow molding and Thermoforming
- Injection, compression, transfer, and rotational molding
- Additive manufacturing and 3D printing
- Bio-printing and bio-fabrication
- Foaming and barrier properties
- Coating and thin films
- Welding and sintering
- Surface treatments
- Process control
- Simulation and optimization of process
- Products testing and analysis
- Polymer rheology and mechanical properties
- Polymer design
- Modified polymer materials
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Polymer Scaffold for Tissue Engineering Applications (Deadline: 15 December 2023)
- Advanced Manufacturing of Polymeric Biomaterials (Deadline: 15 December 2023)
- Durability and Modification of Wood Surfaces II (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Polymer-Based Adsorbents II (Deadline: 20 December 2023)
- Processing of High Performance Polymeric Materials: Modeling and Characterization (Deadline: 25 December 2023)
- Polymers Additive Manufacturing in Sports and Protective Equipment (Deadline: 25 December 2023)
- Injection Molding Process in Polymer Processing (Deadline: 30 December 2023)
- Laser Processing of Polymers: Induced Effects and Functionalization (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Polymeric Nanocomposites for Wearable Applications (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Advanced Polymer Composite Materials: Processing, Modeling, Properties and Applications II (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- 3D Printing of Polymer-Based Composite Materials (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Manufacturing and Processing of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Melt Electrospinning of Polymer Fibers (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Permanently Porous Polymers (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Surfaces and Aesthetic Properties of Polymers (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Polymeric Textiles (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Plasma Processes for Polymers II (Deadline: 31 December 2023)
- Functional Polymers: Interaction, Surface, Processing and Applications II (Deadline: 5 January 2024)
- Advance in 3D/4D Printing of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 10 January 2024)
- Recent Advances in Polymer Rheology (Deadline: 15 January 2024)
- Biomedical Applications of Polymer and Composite Based Additive Manufacturing, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 January 2024)
- Advances in Sustainable Polymers: Processing, Modeling, Properties and Applications, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 January 2024)
- Functional Polymeric Adsorbents II (Deadline: 25 January 2024)
- Recent Advances in Polymer Processing (Deadline: 25 January 2024)
- Mechanical and Failure Behavior of Polymeric Composites (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Silicone Resins: Synthesis, Modification, Characterization and Its Applications (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Polymer-Based Materials for Drug Delivery and Biomedical Applications (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Advances of Multifunctional Technical Textile Materials from Natural, Synthetic, Bio and Functional Polymers (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Polymer-Based 3D Printing in the Food Industry (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Plasma Technology in Polymer Surface Modification (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- 3D and 4D Printing of Polymers: Modeling and Experimental Approaches (Deadline: 31 January 2024)
- Advanced Polymeric Films II (Deadline: 10 February 2024)
- New Studies of Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces (Deadline: 10 February 2024)
- 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing of Advanced Sustainable Polymers and Composites (Deadline: 14 February 2024)
- Polymeric Membranes: Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications (Deadline: 20 February 2024)
- Polymers and Polymer-Based Composites for Additive Manufacturing II (Deadline: 20 February 2024)
- Injection Molding of Polymers and Polymer Composites (Deadline: 25 February 2024)
- Polymer Micro/Nanofabrication and Manufacturing II (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Extrusion of Polymer Blends and Composites (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Overviews on the Progress of Epoxy Resins: Preparation, Processing, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Polymer Composites for 3D Printing II (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Additive Manufacturing of Polymers (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Advances in Polymeric Biomaterials: Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering II (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Advances in Polymer Composites for Automotives (Deadline: 29 February 2024)
- Additive Manufacturing Technology of Polymeric Nanomaterials (Deadline: 5 March 2024)
- Advances in Additive Manufacturing of Polymers (Deadline: 10 March 2024)
- Advances in the Processing and Application of Polymers and Their Composites III (Deadline: 15 March 2024)
- Advances in Polymer Processing and Molding (Deadline: 15 March 2024)
- Recent Advances in Injection Molding and Special Injection Molding Technologies (Deadline: 15 March 2024)
- Modification and Application of Starch-Based Polymers (Deadline: 25 March 2024)
- 3D Printing of Polymer Materials: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives (Deadline: 25 March 2024)
- Advancements in Three-Dimensional Printing of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Durability and Degradation of Polymeric Materials III (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Polymer Materials in Dentistry (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Advances in Screw Processing of Polymeric Materials - In Memory of Professor James Lindsay White (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Recycling of Engineering Polymers: Process and Physico-Chemical Changes (Deadline: 31 March 2024)
- Miscible and Immiscible Polymer Blends: Achievements and Development Perspectives (Deadline: 10 April 2024)
- 3D Printing of Polymer Materials (Deadline: 10 April 2024)
- Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites II (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Applications of Lasers in Polymer Science (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Rheology and Processing of Polymers II (Deadline: 15 April 2024)
- Rheology of Polymers and Polymer Composites (Deadline: 20 April 2024)
- Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites for Building and Bridge Applications (Deadline: 25 April 2024)
- Block Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly and Application (Deadline: 25 April 2024)
- Advanced Polymeric Materials for 3D/4D Printing Technology (Deadline: 25 April 2024)
- Development and Application of Polymer-Based Materials for Printable Sensors (Deadline: 25 April 2024)
- Preparation and Application of Rubber Composites (Deadline: 25 April 2024)
- Modification and Study on the Properties of Epoxy Resin (Deadline: 30 April 2024)
- Advances in Mechanical Testing of Polymer Composites (Deadline: 10 May 2024)
- Advances in Plasma Processes for Polymers III (Deadline: 15 May 2024)
- Modeling and Simulations of Smart and Responsive Polymers (Deadline: 20 May 2024)
- 3D Printing Polymer: Processing and Fabrication (Deadline: 25 May 2024)
- Additive Manufacturing of (Bio) Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 25 May 2024)
- Ultra-Stretchable Polymers for Flexible Electronics and Energy Storage and Conversion Devices (Deadline: 25 May 2024)
- Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Design of Polymer Materials and Manufacturing (Deadline: 31 May 2024)
- Polymer Materials for Construction (Deadline: 31 May 2024)
- Electrospinning Techniques and Advanced Polymer Textile Products (Deadline: 1 June 2024)
- 3D/4D Printing for Polymer Composites (Deadline: 15 June 2024)
- Recent Advances in Injection Molding of Polymers (Deadline: 15 June 2024)
- Polymer Materials and Technology: Dental 3D Printing (Deadline: 15 June 2024)
- Electrospinning of Polymer Systems (Deadline: 30 June 2024)
- Additive Manufacturing of Polymer-Based Composite Materials (Deadline: 31 July 2024)
- Advances in Reinforced Polymer Materials for Additive Manufacturing, Product Design, Processing and Their Applications (Deadline: 1 November 2024)
- Advances in Polymer Processing Technologies: In Honor of Prof. Dr. Geoffrey Robert Mitchell’s 75th Birthday (Deadline: 31 December 2024)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Advanced Manufacturing for Polymers
- Biopolymers and Biopolymer Based Composites: Processing, Properties, Durability
- Feature Papers in Polymer Processing and Engineering
- Plastics Technology and Engineering
- Polymer Composite Processing (Closed)
- Polymer/Biopolymer Stabilization and Degradation
- Progress in Polymer Processing and Engineering