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Special Issue "Advances in Functional Hybrid Polymeric Composites"

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2024 | Viewed by 3680

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Prof. Dr. Mauro Carraro

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
Interests: hybrid polymeric membranes for water treatment; hybrid copolymers; catalytic polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Souad Djellali

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Guest Editor

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University Ferhat Abbas Setif 1, 19000 Setif, Algeria
Interests: polymer chemistry; bio-based hybrid polymeric composites; functional polymers for active packaging; biocomposites for water treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of composite polymeric materials is a frontier research field with several applications—among others, in materials science, medicine, decontamination, energy conversion and storage. An endless series of composite polymeric materials can, indeed, be prepared by mixing or binding polymers and organic/inorganic components, including different polymers, nanostructures, catalysts, MOFs, etc.

In this Special Issue, we wish to collect the most recent advances in this topic, with the aim of boosting inspiration among scientists on the design of new and reliable composite polymeric materials. Indeed, many applications still suffer from insufficient technological performances and claim further development, going beyond the mixing of two or more components.

We encourage the submission of manuscripts dealing with new composites, showing one or more enhanced properties resulting from the synergy of their components, that can help to overcome the limit of existing materials (for example, mechanical strength, biocompatibility, overall biodegradability, energy conversion efficiency, stability of embedded molecules). In the perspective of a growing sustainability and within the scenario of a circular economy, we wish to include some papers on the actual valorization of end-of-life materials through the integration into polymers as well as to technologies for the recovery of existing composite polymeric materials.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

Polymer–inorganic compounds (clays, nanoparticles, polyoxometalates, catalysts) composite materials;
Polymer–organic molecules (dyes, drugs, organocatalysts, covalent organic frameworks) composite materials;
Polymer–hybrid molecules (coordination complexes, oxoclusters, metal organic frameworks) composite materials;
Polymer–polymer composite materials;
Polymer-driven upcycling of recovered polymers, fibers, and other materials;
Applications of functional polymeric composite materials;
Properties of polymeric composite materials.

Prof. Dr. Mauro Carraro
Prof. Dr. Souad Djellali
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. 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

composites
hybrids
polymers
enhanced performance
fillers
functional

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 34967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Behavior of Glass Fiber Composites under Low Velocity Impacts

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Polymers 2023, 15(23), 4549; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15234549 - 27 Nov 2023

Viewed by 338

Abstract

This paper presents experimental results on the behavior of a class of glass fiber composites under low velocity impacts, in order to analyze their usage in designing low velocity impact-resistant components in car and marine industries. Also, a finite element model at the meso level (considering yarn as a compact, homogenous and isotropic material) was run with the help of Ansys Explicit Dynamics in order to point out the stages of the failure and the equivalent stress distribution on the main yarns in different layers of the composite. The composites were manufactured at laboratory scale via the laying-up and pressing method, using a quadriaxial glass fiber fabric (0°/+45°/90°/−45°) supplied by Castro Composites (Pontevedra, Spain) and an epoxy resin. The resin was a two-component resin (Biresin^® CR82 and hardener CH80-2) supplied by Sika Group (Bludenz, Austria). The mass ratio for the fabric and panel was kept in the range of 0.70–0.77. The variables for this research were as follows: the number of layers of glass fiber fabric, the impact velocity (2–4 m/s, corresponding to an impact energy of 11–45 J, respectively) and the diameter of the hemispherical impactor (Φ10 mm and Φ20 mm) made of hardened steel. The tests were performed on an Instron CEAST 9340 test machine, and at least three tests with close results are presented. We investigated the influence of the test parameters on the maximum force (F_max) measured during impact, the time to F_max and the duration of impact, t_f, all considered when the force is falling to zero again. Scanning electron microscopy and photography were used for discussing the failure processes at the fiber (micro) and panel (macro) level. At a velocity impact of 2 m/s (corresponding to an impact energy of 11 J), even the thinner panels (with two layers of quadriaxial glass fiber fabric, 1.64 mm thickness and a surface density of 3.51 kg/m²) had only partial penetration (damages on the panel face, without damage on panel back), but at a velocity impact of 4 m/s (corresponding to an impact energy of 45 J), only composite panels with six layers of quadriaxial fabric (5.25 mm thickness and a surface density of 9.89 kg/m²) presented back faces with only micro-exfoliated spots of the matrix for tests with both impactors. These results encourage the continuation of research on actual components for car and naval industries subjected to low velocity impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Hybrid Polymeric Composites)

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23 pages, 6646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation and Photocatalytic Performance of Sodium Alginate/Polyacrylamide/Polypyrrole-TiO₂ Nanocomposite Hydrogels

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Polymers 2023, 15(20), 4174; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15204174 - 20 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 644

Abstract

The application of photocatalysis technology in environmental pollution treatment has garnered increasing attention, and enhancing the photocatalytic efficiency and recyclability of photocatalysts represents a pivotal research focus for future endeavors. In this paper, polypyrrole titanium dioxide nanocomposite (PPy-TiO₂) was prepared using in situ polymerization method and dispersed in sodium alginate/polyacrylamide (SA/PAM) hydrogel matrix to prepare SA/PAM/PPy-TiO₂ nanocomposite hydrogels. The nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by XPS, FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM, and TEM. The results showed that the composite materials were successfully prepared and PPy-TiO₂ was uniformly dispersed in the hydrogel matrix. The incorporation of PPy in the SA/PAM/TiO₂ composite hydrogel resulted in enhanced visible light absorption, reduced recombination efficiency of photoelectron-hole pairs in TiO₂, and facilitated the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic efficiency of the composite hydrogel for MB was nearly 100%, whereas for MO, it reached 91.85% after exposure to sunlight for 120 min. In comparison with nano-TiO₂ and PPy-TiO₂, the SA/PAM/PPy-TiO₂ nanocomposite hydrogel exhibited a higher degradation rate of MB and demonstrated ease in separation and recovery from the reaction solution. Furthermore, even after undergoing five cycles of recycling, there was no significant decrease observed in photodegradation efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Hybrid Polymeric Composites)

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15 pages, 3520 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient Removal of Carcinogenic Azo Dyes from Water Using Iron(II) Clathrochelate Derived Metalorganic Copolymers Made from a Copper-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cyclobenzannulation Reaction

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Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2948; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132948 - 04 Jul 2023

Viewed by 844

Abstract

A novel synthetic strategy is disclosed to prepare a new class of metalorganic copolymers that contain iron(II) clathrochelate building blocks by employing a mild and cost-effective copper-catalyzed [4 + 2] cyclobenzannulation reaction, using three specially designed diethynyl iron(II) clathrochelate synthons. The target copolymers CBP1-3 were isolated in high purity and excellent yields as proven by their structural and photophysical characterization, namely, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–VIS absorption and emission spectroscopies. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of CBP1-3 revealed an excellent chemical stability. Investigation of the adsorption properties of the target copolymers towards the carcinogenic methyl red dye from aqueous solution revealed a quantitative uptake in 30 min. Isothermal adsorption studies disclosed that methyl red uptake from aqueous solution followed the Langmuir model for all of the target copolymers, reaching a maximum adsorption capacity (q_m) of 431 mg g⁻. Kinetic investigation revealed that the adsorption followed pseudo-first-order with an equilibrium adsorption capacity (q_e,cal) of 79.35 mg g⁻ and whose sorption property was sustained even after its reuse several times. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Hybrid Polymeric Composites)

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18 pages, 5439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Edible Composite Film from Fish Gelatin–Pectin Incorporated with Lemongrass Essential Oil and Its Application in Chicken Meat

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Polymers 2023, 15(9), 2075; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15092075 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1481

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges encountered by the food industry is the loss of quality of food products during storage, especially perishable foods such as chicken breast, which eventually adds to the waste. Edible films are known as a potential alternative to maintain food quality and also improve shelf life by delaying the microbial spoilage and providing moisture and gas barrier properties. Developments in edible films from biopolymer composites such as fish gelatin, pectin and essential oils have great potential and promising results in enhancing the shelf life of food products. This study was conducted to determine the effect of adding pectin and lemongrass essential oil on the properties of gelatin film and its application to preserve the quality of chicken breast. In this study, the fish skin gelatin and pectin were used with various compositions (100:0; 75:25; 50:50%), with and without the addition of lemongrass essential oil to develop edible films by a casting method. The results showed that the fish gelatin–pectin with the addition of essential oils caused a significant influence on several physicochemical properties such as the thickness, transmittance, transparency, water content, tensile strength, elongation at break and also antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). The antibacterial activity evaluation showed that edible film from a biocomposite of gelatin–pectin (75:25 and 50:50) with the addition of essential oil had an inhibitory effect on Salmonella. The biocomposite of the edible film made from gelatin–pectin and the addition of lemongrass essential oil have the potential to be developed as a food packaging material, especially for perishable food. Based on the result of the application of edible film to chicken breast, it also could maintain the quality of chicken breast during storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Hybrid Polymeric Composites)

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