Advanced Polymer Composites: Design, Synthesis, and Functions

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced polymer composites are engineered materials composed of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibers, nanoparticles, or hybrid fillers to achieve superior mechanical, thermal, electrical, biomedical, or other multifunctional properties. These materials are increasingly critical across industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, construction, electronics, and healthcare due to their lightweight nature, high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and design flexibility.

Despite their growing adoption, several challenges remain. These include a deeper understanding of structure–property relationships, improving long-term durability, enhancing recyclability and sustainability, and developing cost-effective, scalable manufacturing techniques. Addressing these limitations is essential to unlock the full potential of advanced polymer composites in next-generation technologies.

This Special Issue seeks to bring together cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews that address both fundamental science and practical engineering solutions. We welcome contributions in, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Advanced composite design using modeling, simulation, and machine learning;
• Synthesis and characterization of novel polymer matrices and reinforcements;
• Advanced processing and manufacturing, such as additive manufacturing and in situ polymerization;
• Optimizations of mechanical, thermal, electrical, and biomedical performance;
• Studies on aging, fatigue, damage tolerance, environmental resistance, life-cycle analysis, recyclability, and sustainability strategies;
• Development of nanocomposites, bio-based systems, and smart composites for applications in structural, biomedical, energy, electronic, and self-healing materials.

We encourage interdisciplinary submissions that bridge materials science, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Both experimental and theoretical studies are welcome. All manuscripts will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure scientific excellence and originality. Accepted papers will be published promptly and promoted widely to maximize visibility and impact.

Dr. Dong Guo
Dr. Sheng Zhao
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Applied Sciences 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 2400 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.