Functional Polymer Materials: From Materials Design to Performance Modulation
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 125
Editor
Interests: physico–chemical properties, structure, morphology and durability of macromolecular systems; design and development of smart and/or nanostructured materials; synthesis of self-healing microcapsules; multifunctional carbon-based hybrid materials for aircraft lightning strike protection; thermosetting composites with self-restoration function capable at very low temperatures; conductive and flame retardant nanofilled aeronautic composites; self-responsive materials; 3D printing; FTIR spectroscopy; morphological analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and tunneling atomic force microscopy (TUNA) techniques
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue titled “Functional Polymer Materials: From Materials Design to Performance Modulation”.
Functional polymer materials sit at the heart of modern materials science because they offer something few other classes of materials can match: molecular-level tunability that scales all the way up to macroscopic performance. Their versatility stems from the fact that polymers are not just structural entities—they are engineered platforms where chemistry, architecture, and processing converge to deliver targeted functions.
This Special Issue aims to collect articles dealing with active, intelligent, and multifunctional polymer materials, starting from molecular design to functional performance.
Designing functional polymers begins with precise control over molecular structure, which dictates the emergent properties. Structure–property relationships represent the core of functionality. The true power of functional polymers lies in their responsiveness—their ability to adapt, react, or transform under external stimuli —and processing routes acting as performance modulators. Their lightweight nature, processability, and tunability make them ideal for next-generation technologies.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) conductive polymers, stimuli-responsive polymers, smart nanocomposites, energy storage devices, flexible electronics, and biomedical scaffolds.
I look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Marialuigia Raimondo
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
- functional polymers
- multiscale composites with synergistic properties
- multifunctional nanocomposites
- carbonaceous nanofillers
- smart functions of nanocomposites
- stimuli-responsive behavior
- self-healing polymers
- advanced characterization tools
- processing as a modulation tool
- device integration
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