Recent Advances in Polymer/2D Material Nanocomposite Films and Coatings

Dear Colleagues,

Epoxy is one of the most common crosslinked (thermoset) polymers used in structures due to its ability to adhere to many substrates and its features of high strength at room and relatively high temperatures, high corrosion resistance, and remarkable resistance to alkaline environments. The development of advanced multifunctional epoxy nanocomposites is critical for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and electronic packaging. Incorporating nanosize fillers into epoxy resins not only reinforces the resins but also imparts functionalities such as thermal and electrical conductivity, flame retarding, corrosion resistance, and antifouling properties.

Two-dimensional materials, including graphene, boron nitride sheets, and MXenes, possess plate-like structure with nanosize thickness. Because of the plate-like structure, the 2D materials show notable enhancements—in comparison to other nanostructures—in gas impermeability, electromagnetic interference shielding, capacitance, electrical and thermal conductivity, and flame retardancy of the host matrices. 

Recently, the addition of 2D materials into epoxy to develop multifunctional films and coatings has attracted much attention. Developing films or coatings from epoxy nanocomposites offers the possibility of adding high volume fractions of the 2D materials, which is often a challenge in casting bulk-size epoxy nanocomposites due to the high viscosity. Epoxy/2D nanocomposite films and coatings at high contents exhibit outstanding functional properties such as thermal and electrical conductivity, strain sensitivity, and antifouling properties.

This Special Issue will report the latest research and outcomes not only for epoxy/2D material nanocomposite films and coatings but also for other types of polymer/2D material composites for multifunctional coatings. Original research papers, communications, and reviews are welcome. This Special Issue will include—but is not limited to—the following research areas:

• Research on polymer/2D material composite films;
• Mathematical and computer models and simulation results underpinning the structure–property relationships of polymer/2D material nanocomposites under different scenarios;
• Experimental results of polymer/2D material films towards potential applications, including energy storage and solar energy devices, thermal management and flexible electric conductors, and epoxy composite coatings for flame retarding and antifouling applications;
• Smart polymer/2D material films as sensors;
• Functionalization, hybridization, and synergistic effects between 2D materials for high-performance polymer/2D material composite films;

The latest research on synthesis routes and testing techniques to achieve scalable and cost-effective production methods for transferring technology from lab-scale to industry level.

Dr. Sherif Araby
Prof. Dr. Tahar Laoui
Prof. Qingshi Meng
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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

• Thermosets
• Plastics
• 2D materials
• Antifouling coatings
• Flame retarding coatings
• Multifunctional epoxy composite films
• Synthesis–structure–property relationships
• Damage detection modeling