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New Frontiers in Biopolymer 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 (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 383

Special Issue Editor

Smart Materials Group, Department of Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
Interests: biotechnology; biomaterials; polymeric materials; polymeric biomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Billions of human inhabitants on Earth create millions of tons of wastes every year. Possibly the most voluminous of all these wastes are fossil-fuel-based non-degradable plastics, which are causing serious health and environmental problems. For this reason, it is urgently needed to replace this non-degradable plastic material with cost-effective and eco-friendly polymers and polymer composites from renewable, natural sources. Biopolymeric composites based on biomaterials, also known as biocomposites, have emerged as sustainable alternatives in various applications where non-degradable polymer composites have already been exploited. The key properties inherent to biopolymers are biocompatibility and biodegradability, which render them suitable for both human beings and the environment. However, the main drawback of biopolymer composites is their poor mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, limited processing capability, and end-use application. To overcome these drawbacks, biopolymers can be reinforced with different fillers or plasticizers to improve their properties.

This Special Issue aims to attract both research and review articles on the fabrication, characterization, and novel functional applications of biocomposites. Topics of interest are:

  • Thermoplastic starch-based biocomposites;
  • Polylactic acid (PLA)-based biocomposites;
  • Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-based biocomposites;
  • Polypropylene carbonate (PPC)-based biocomposites;
  • Polycaprolactone (PCL)-based biocomposites;
  • Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based biocomposites;
  • Cellulose-based biocomposites.

Dr. Uttam Paul
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

  • biocomposites
  • cellulose
  • starch
  • biopolymer composites
  • food packaging
  • biopolymer composite
  • biomedical applications
  • 3D printing
  • biopolymeric coating
  • polysaccharides

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Published Papers

There is no accepted submissions to this special issue at this moment.
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