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Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application
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Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2386

Editor

Prof. Dr. Lili Ren

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Bionic Engineering (Ministry of Education), College of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College of Bionic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130022, China
Interests: triple network hydrogel; polymer; food packaging; agricultural material; coatings; films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research into functional polymers holds great significance, as it offers fundamental insights that are crucial for diverse applications such as in electronics, automotive industries, textiles, and energy-related solutions. Polymers can crystallize during cooling from melt, mechanical stretching, or solvent evaporation procedures, and this crystallization process has a significant impact on the polymer’s optical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties. This Special Issue, entitled "Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application", aims to include perspectives and reviews on the crystallization kinetics, mechanisms, and crystal organization and morphology of polymer materials.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include the following:

  1. Crystallization mechanisms and kinetics:

The discovery and exploration of new polymer crystallization mechanisms, such as the analysis of crystallization processes under special conditions.

  1. Crystal structure and morphology:

Discovery of new polymer crystal structures and the influence of different external conditions on the morphology of polymer crystals.

  1. Crystallization under confined space and surface effects:

The crystallization behavior of polymers in nanoscale confined spaces, the influence of interactions between polymers and different substrate surfaces on their crystallization process and properties, and the regulatory effects of surface modification on polymer crystallization.

  1. Flow- and stress-induced crystallization:

The study of the influence of different types of flow fields on polymer crystallization, analysis of the relationship between the mechanical properties and crystal structure of polymer crystallization under stress, and the investigation of the effect of stress relaxation on the crystallization process.

  1. Crystallization of polymer blends and composite materials:

The study of the influence of the interactions between components in blended polymer systems on crystallization behavior, as well as the coupling relationship between phase separation and crystallization process.

  1. Theoretical calculation and simulation:

Using simulation methods such as molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo to simulate the polymer crystallization process and predict crystallization behavior and crystal structure.

Prof. Dr. Lili Ren
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

  • polymer materials
  • polymer chains
  • crystal structure
  • crystallization
  • crystallization process
  • X-ray diffraction
  • glass transition temperature
  • chain flexibility

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1012 KB  
Article
Chemical Devulcanization of Crosslinked Nitrile Rubber Using Tetra-n-Butylammonium Fluoride (TBAF) as a Devulcanization Aid
by Jakub Wręczycki, Katsiaryna Nauharodskaya, Dariusz M. Bieliński and Grzegorz Mlostoń
Materials 2026, 19(15), 3317; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19153317 - 4 Aug 2026
Viewed by 362
Abstract
Utilization of tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) as a new, hitherto unknown devulcanization aid in the chemical devulcanization of sulfur crosslinked diene rubber has been demonstrated. The influences of crosslink structure (the ratio of mono-, di-, and polysulfidic bonds) and carbon black (CB) [...] Read more.
Utilization of tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) as a new, hitherto unknown devulcanization aid in the chemical devulcanization of sulfur crosslinked diene rubber has been demonstrated. The influences of crosslink structure (the ratio of mono-, di-, and polysulfidic bonds) and carbon black (CB) loading on the efficiency of acrylonitrile-butadiene-rubber (NBR) devulcanization have been studied. The rubber vulcanizates were treated with TBAF solutions under varying conditions (solution concentration, solvent type, temperature, and reaction time). Changes in crosslink density and other relevant network properties of the rubber vulcanizates were measured. Results showed a significant reduction in crosslink density—up to 50% after chemical treatment. The fluoride-based approach, in which fluoride salt is a source of nucleophilic fluoride anions (F−), can cleave the sulfidic crosslinks, demonstrating significant potential for efficient recycling of used rubber vulcanizates by their devulcanization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application)
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24 pages, 4921 KB  
Article
Preparation of Benzimidazole-Modified Resin and Its Adsorption Behavior Toward Cu(II) and Ni(II) Ions in Aqueous Media
by Keyu Chen, Yongming Wei and Kaihuai Duan
Materials 2026, 19(8), 1532; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19081532 - 11 Apr 2026
Viewed by 571
Abstract
To address heavy metal contamination in wastewater, this study developed a novel chelating resin (PS-2-AB) by grafting 2-aminobenzimidazole onto chloromethylated polystyrene. The resin was characterized using SEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS to confirm successful modification and analyze its structural properties. Batch adsorption tests [...] Read more.
To address heavy metal contamination in wastewater, this study developed a novel chelating resin (PS-2-AB) by grafting 2-aminobenzimidazole onto chloromethylated polystyrene. The resin was characterized using SEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS to confirm successful modification and analyze its structural properties. Batch adsorption tests were conducted to evaluate its removal performance for Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions. Under optimal conditions (pH 5.0–7.0, dosage: 1.0 g/L), PS-2-AB achieved maximum adsorption capacities of 125.04 mg/g for Cu(II) and 157.44 mg/g for Ni(II), which are significantly higher than those of the commercial resin D113 (44.68 mg/g for Cu(II) and 25.17 mg/g for Ni(II)) under the same conditions. Adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemisorption-dominated behavior, while equilibrium data fit the Langmuir model, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed a spontaneous and endothermic process. After five regeneration cycles, PS-2-AB retained approximately 87% (Cu) and 89% (Ni) of its original capacity, demonstrating good reusability. These results indicate that PS-2-AB exhibits markedly better adsorption performance than D113, making it a promising and cost-effective adsorbent for the efficient removal of Cu(II) and Ni(II) from aqueous media. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application)
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13 pages, 2128 KB  
Article
Study of Crystallization Kinetics of Picromerite in the K2SO4-MgSO4-H2O System
by Songliang Ma, Yiqi Cui, Guangfeng Dong and Qingwang Liu
Materials 2026, 19(5), 957; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19050957 - 2 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 535
Abstract
The crystallization kinetics of picromerite play a crucial role in optimizing the fertilizer quality. This study developed a crystallization kinetics model of picromerite. Results show that increasing temperature mainly leads to higher supersaturation, which, in turn, enhances both nucleation and growth rates, with [...] Read more.
The crystallization kinetics of picromerite play a crucial role in optimizing the fertilizer quality. This study developed a crystallization kinetics model of picromerite. Results show that increasing temperature mainly leads to higher supersaturation, which, in turn, enhances both nucleation and growth rates, with significant improvements in crystal size and uniformity. Higher stirring speed was found to have positive effects on crystal nucleation and growth rate. The decrease in supersaturation leads to the diminution of the driving force for crystallization and the gradual decline in crystallization. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between these crystallization conditions and the resultant crystal properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application)
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Review

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39 pages, 2920 KB  
Review
Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB): Production, Properties, Modification Strategies, Additive Manufacturing, Biodegradation, and Applications
by Bairavi Sanjeevi and Duncan E. Cree
Materials 2026, 19(14), 3115; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19143115 - 20 Jul 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 537
Abstract
Growing environmental concerns over petroleum-based plastics have increased interest in sustainable and biodegradable alternatives such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). PHB is a naturally produced biopolymer synthesized by microorganisms and is widely recognized for its biodegradability, biocompatibility, renewability, and thermoplastic properties. Despite these advantages, PHB [...] Read more.
Growing environmental concerns over petroleum-based plastics have increased interest in sustainable and biodegradable alternatives such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). PHB is a naturally produced biopolymer synthesized by microorganisms and is widely recognized for its biodegradability, biocompatibility, renewability, and thermoplastic properties. Despite these advantages, PHB use remains limited by brittleness, high crystallinity, low thermal stability, a narrow processing window, and high production costs. This review discusses the production, properties, biodegradation behavior, and applications of PHB, with a focus on strategies to improve its performance. Modification approaches, including copolymerization, polymer blending, filler reinforcement, plasticization, and hybrid composite formulation, are critically reviewed to evaluate their effects on the thermal, mechanical, and processing behavior of PHB-based materials. The review also highlights recent developments in additive manufacturing, particularly fused deposition modeling/fused filament fabrication (FDM/FFF) for the extrusion of biodegradable PHB composite filaments. In addition, the biodegradation of PHB under various environmental conditions, including soil, compost, freshwater, marine, aerobic, and anaerobic environments, are discussed. Current challenges, research gaps, commercialization barriers, and future opportunities related to sustainable feedstocks, advanced composites, additive manufacturing, and circular economy integration are addressed. Overall, PHB shows strong potential as a sustainable alternative for packaging, biomedical, agricultural, and three-dimensional (3D) printing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Materials: Synthesis and Application)
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