Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the development of bio-based blends and composites has attracted a great deal of attention from materials engineers and industrialists owing to the increasing environmental awareness, the reduction of fossil fuel reserves, and the variation in price of these raw materials. To mitigate the environmental issues caused by petroleum-based non-biodegradable materials, the development of bio-based polymer blends and biocomposites with improved mechanical performance is gaining importance. In addition, they have widespread applications in a range of fields including automobiles, aerospace, biomedical devices, etc., and can be processed using current manufacturing technologies such as melt compounding, solution casting, in situ polymerization, electrospinning and 3D printing.  

However, most bio-based polymers have some limitations, such as low heat distortion temperature, low crystallizability and insufficient mechanical properties, compared to commercial petroleum-derived polymers. In order to overcome these limitations, it is inevitable that some bio-based polymers or petroleum-derived polymers will be used to improve the properties of these biopolymers through blending. In addition, many studies have been devoted to the incorporation of natural fibers such as hemp, flax, and sisal into bio-based polymers. Therefore, this Special Issue will address the above-mentioned points in relation to manufacturing, characterization, and properties of bio-based polymer blends and composites to offer insight into these novel materials. This Special Issue will highlight the progress on the processing, characterization, properties, and applications of bio-based polymer blends and composites.

Dr. Kalappa Prashantha
Prof. Dr. Stéphane Panier
Guest Editors

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