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Innovative and Eco-Friendly Materials in the Automotive Industry
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Innovative and Eco-Friendly Materials in the Automotive Industry

A Special Issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944) belonging to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1825

Editor

Dr. Andrzej Borawski

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 45C Wiejska Str., PL-15351 Bialystok, Poland
Interests: mechanical engineering; friction; tribology; supply systems; alternative fuels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing industries on the market. The sheer number of vehicles on the road makes their impact on the natural environment significant. Substances and materials emitted during operation (exhaust gases and particles) are no longer the main issue. Materials used during production and disposal, and the materials used in the vehicle itself, are much more serious problems right now.

The aim of this Special Issue is to gather the results of work conducted by scientists from around the world. Its interdisciplinary nature will allow for the exchange of experiences and knowledge from various fields, which may inspire further work or point to previously unknown and unpublished solutions to well-known problems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: combustion engine materials, electric engine materials, high voltage battery structures, friction materials (brakes, clutches), workshop equipment, industrial line equipment, technologies used in recycling processes or vehicle body structures.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Andrzej Borawski
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 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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials 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 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.

Keywords

  • automotive
  • materials
  • eco-friendly
  • innovative
  • composite
  • vehicles
  • car parts

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 8860 KB  
Article
Experimental Investigation into Tensile Mechanical Properties of the Unidirectional Flax Fibre–Reinforced Vitrimer Composite—Seeking Sustainable Opportunities for the Automotive Industry
by Milan M. Janković, Igor M. Balać, Mihajlo D. Popović, Miloš D. Pjević and Robert Bjekovic
Materials 2026, 19(13), 2687; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19132687 - 23 Jun 2026
Viewed by 540
Abstract
Emerging sustainability demands and calls for lowering materials’ environmental impact have directed authors to examine a class of polymers characterised as covalent adaptable networks and referred to as vitrimers. In this study, composite plates were made using vitrimer resin as the matrix material [...] Read more.
Emerging sustainability demands and calls for lowering materials’ environmental impact have directed authors to examine a class of polymers characterised as covalent adaptable networks and referred to as vitrimers. In this study, composite plates were made using vitrimer resin as the matrix material and continuous unidirectional flax fibre fabrics as the reinforcement. A specific early-stage composite part production method is proposed to make the multi-ply flax/vitrimer composite plate. The development of natural fibre–reinforced vitrimer composites is of clear research interest as a promising approach towards sustainable and recyclable novel material systems. Specimens prepared with all the plies oriented 0° exhibited a 129.4 MPa tensile strength and a 12.4 GPa tensile modulus, indicating a 334% increase in tensile strength when compared to the average value of 29.8 MPa obtained for neat vitrimer specimens and a 1140% improvement in the tensile modulus compared to the 1.0 GPa reached for neat vitrimer. The specimens whose plies were oriented 90° are found to deliver a tensile strength of 12.2 MPa and a 1.3 GPa tensile modulus. Applying the classical composite material micromechanics equation to calculate the 0°-direction tensile modulus demonstrated a good agreement with the experimentally obtained value—a 9.6% difference was discovered. Proper fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion was detected when the flax/vitrimer specimens’ surfaces after fracture were examined under scanning electron microscope. The research findings on tensile mechanical properties reveal that the observed flax/vitrimer composites may be potential candidates for replacing typical synthetic fibre–reinforced materials rated for automotive applications and intended for in-plane loaded parts, particularly some inner-body vehicle elements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Eco-Friendly Materials in the Automotive Industry)
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Review

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46 pages, 2564 KB  
Review
A Review and Research Proposal on Pioneering Sustainable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with Kenaf Fibre Biocomposites for Structural and Electronic Integration
by Thinesh Sharma Balakrishnan, Khalina Abdan, Krzysztof Nozdrzykowski, Rafał Grzejda, Mohd Radzi Ali, Suhas Yeshwant Nayak and Anand Pai
Materials 2026, 19(16), 3451; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19163451 - 14 Aug 2026
Viewed by 404
Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are experiencing rapid growth across diverse sectors, creating an increasing demand for lightweight, high-performance and environmentally sustainable materials. Conventional drone materials offer excellent mechanical properties but pose environmental concerns due to their high carbon footprint, energy-intensive production and limited [...] Read more.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are experiencing rapid growth across diverse sectors, creating an increasing demand for lightweight, high-performance and environmentally sustainable materials. Conventional drone materials offer excellent mechanical properties but pose environmental concerns due to their high carbon footprint, energy-intensive production and limited biodegradability. Kenaf fibre, a renewable natural fibre, presents a promising alternative owing to its low density, high specific strength, cost-effectiveness and eco-friendly characteristics. This review and research proposal explores the current and potential applications of kenaf-based materials in drone manufacturing, including kenaf fibre-reinforced biocomposites, pressed paper, composite pellets and 3D printing filaments for structural, functional and electrical housing components. Kenaf-based materials have demonstrated mechanical strengths approaching 300 MPa, dielectric constants of approximately 2.5 and electrical breakdown strengths exceeding 150 kV/mm, highlighting their potential for lightweight UAV structures and electronic insulation applications. The proposed research focuses on optimising kenaf fibre treatment, fibre–matrix compatibility, hybrid reinforcement strategies and additive manufacturing parameters to develop lightweight, durable and multifunctional kenaf-based UAV components. The framework aims to establish a systematic pathway for the development and validation of kenaf-based materials for next-generation sustainable UAVs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Eco-Friendly Materials in the Automotive Industry)
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39 pages, 6917 KB  
Review
Hierarchical and Fractal-Inspired Mechanical Metamaterials: A Mechanics-Oriented Review of Multiscale Design, Strength, Deformation, and Energy Absorption
by Saulius Diliūnas, Vitalis Leišis, Tilmutė Pilkaitė and Inga Skiedraitė
Materials 2026, 19(16), 3432; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19163432 - 13 Aug 2026
Viewed by 564
Abstract
Classical continuum descriptions based on homogenized parameters, such as modulus and relative density, become inadequate when performance is governed by deliberately engineered multiscale architecture rather than by composition, as in hierarchical and fractal-inspired mechanical metamaterials. In these materials, geometry couples deformation across length [...] Read more.
Classical continuum descriptions based on homogenized parameters, such as modulus and relative density, become inadequate when performance is governed by deliberately engineered multiscale architecture rather than by composition, as in hierarchical and fractal-inspired mechanical metamaterials. In these materials, geometry couples deformation across length scales in ways that single-scale models cannot capture. This review synthesizes theoretical, numerical, and experimental literature published mainly over the last two decades, with emphasis on the last five years. It draws preferentially on peer-reviewed journal articles and highly cited studies; strictly periodic single-scale metamaterials and general electromagnetic–metamaterial literature are cited only where needed to establish historical context and are not otherwise within the scope of this review. The specific contribution of this review is threefold: (i) a mechanics-oriented classification of hierarchical and fractal-inspired architectures according to the deformation mechanism they activate (bending-, stretching-, membrane-, or buckling-dominated), rather than by geometric appearance alone; (ii) an explicit structure-mechanism-property-function framework linking multiscale geometry to strength, failure evolution, and energy absorption, tested against automotive crashworthiness as an application case study; and (iii) a critical account of when fractal–mathematical descriptors (scale invariance, similarity ratio, iteration depth, and fractal dimension) are mechanically meaningful, since many finite hierarchical lattices are fractal-inspired rather than fractal in the strict mathematical sense. The synthesis shows that relative density alone is an insufficient performance descriptor: outcomes depend on whether deformation is bending-, stretching-, membrane-, or buckling-dominated, and hierarchy or fractal-inspired recursion improves performance only when each structural level is assigned a distinct mechanical role rather than repeating geometry without function. The crashworthiness case study confirms that no single architecture is universally optimal once force efficiency, intrusion control, and manufacturability are considered alongside energy absorption. Future progress requires integrated structure-mechanism-property-function frameworks that combine theoretical modeling, high-resolution simulation, data-driven design, and experimental validation, with complexity justified only when it is mechanically purposeful, validated, and manufacturable at scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative and Eco-Friendly Materials in the Automotive Industry)
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