Thermo-Reversible Self-Healing Composites
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 3774
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polymers; interfaces; phase transitions; material chemistry and physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Composite materials are increasingly employed in many areas, not only in high-tech applications but also in the energy sector, transport industry, building sector, up to the manufacturing of many objects used in daily life, mainly because of their high strength-to-weight ratio, easy formability, and relatively low costs. However, composites are subjected to internal microscopic damage occurring during the manufacturing process (i.e., caused by thermal stresses), machining (i.e., while drilling holes for bolted joints), components assembly, or, ultimately, in-service loading. The incorporation of an in-situ repair solution that can be activated after each of the above processes may efficiently reduce composite components scrappage rates and post-manufacture and other repairs and, simultaneously, increase the period of time before non-destructive testing inspection. By utilizing specific thermo-reversible (cross)-linking chemistry that can achieve multiple repair/healing cycles, any damage generated throughout a component life cycle can be repaired, and its service life extended; also, complete recycling of fibers and resins may become possible. The embedded reversible chemistry can be activated post-damage to repair the internal structure, akin to the healing processes characteristic of animals and plants. This is a real benefit to the industry because it promotes the optimization of composite manufacturing by reducing both post-manufacture inspection time and material wastage costs, while also maximizing the lifetime of the composite components in service and introducing a true recycling possibility through the recovery of the binder material system and of the reinforcing fibers.
This Special Issue of Applied Sciences on “Thermo-Reversible Self-Healing Composites” aims to attract contributions covering all areas of the subject, ranging from material system design and synthesis, to manufacturing, testing, and recycling of such systems. Papers dealing with all aspects of the topic are welcome.
Dr. Hartmut R. Fischer
Guest Editor
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. 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.
Keywords
- recycling of composites
- thermo-reversible chemistry
- intrinsic self-repair of composites
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.