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Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (3rd Edition)
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Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (3rd Edition)

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 2463

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francesca Lionetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
Interests: material characterization; ultrasonic wave propagation; polymer rheology; curing kinetics of thermosetting matrices; polymer matrix composites; polymer composite processing and joining; heat transfer modelling; polymer based nanocomposites; hybrid welding of dissimilar materials; micro and nanoplastics; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current demand for lightweight and high-performance structures leads to increasing applications of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs), made also possible by novel production methods, repeatable automation, reduced cost of carbon fibers, out-of-autoclave processes like resin transfer molding and resin infusion technologies, the re-use of waste fibers, preform technology developments, high-performance fast-curing resins, etc.

Moreover, the diffusion of multi-material design, where metallic and non-metallic materials are used together to fabricate the same component, has driven research towards efficient joining technologies of metals to carbon fiber-reinforced composites. More recently, the introduction of nanofillers into conventional carbon fiber-reinforced polymers offers the opportunity for combining potential benefits of nanoscale reinforcement with well-established fibrous composites to create multiscale or hierarchical composites, characterized by enhanced structural and functional properties.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, focusing on the emerging trends both in carbon fiber and matrix development and in composite manufacturing technologies. Original articles and review papers will deal with the following themes, without being limited to them:

  • processing and characterization of fibers (from low-cost precursors to the re-use of waste or recycled carbon) and polymer matrices;
  • microstructure evaluation;
  • physical and structural characterization and testing;
  • optimization of properties and processes, including simulation over different length scales;
  • novel applications of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers;
  • multiscale composites;
  • advanced manufacturing processes;
  • novel joining methods and cutting-edge joining and assembly processes;
  • applications of CFRPs in different fields, including renewable energy, infrastructure, and transportation;
  • durability of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers;
  • recycling of carbon fibers and new end-of-use solutions;
  • innovative matrices for CFRPs;
  • life cycle assessment.

I kindly invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Francesca Lionetto
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-blind 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

  • carbon fibers
  • thermosetting resins
  • thermoplastic matrix composites
  • manufacturing technologies
  • joining multiscale composites
  • recycling sustainability

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1908 KB  
Article
Machine Learning-Assisted LIBS Identification of Epoxy Resins in CFRP for Recycling Processes
by Dimitris Kanakis, Zaira M. Berdiñas, Konstantinos N. Sioutas, Elena Santamarina, Camilo Prieto and Elias P. Koumoulos
Materials 2026, 19(4), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19040751 - 14 Feb 2026
Viewed by 261
Abstract
Efficient sorting of resin-based CFRP composites is critical for optimizing composite recycling streams. In this work, a methodology integrating Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) with Machine Learning (ML)-enhanced classification models to achieve accurate material discrimination is presented. LIBS is employed to identify the chemical [...] Read more.
Efficient sorting of resin-based CFRP composites is critical for optimizing composite recycling streams. In this work, a methodology integrating Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) with Machine Learning (ML)-enhanced classification models to achieve accurate material discrimination is presented. LIBS is employed to identify the chemical composition of individual compounds, producing spectrograms that are subsequently processed to group chemically similar materials based on Epoxy resin (Bisphenol-A). The grouped datasets that contain 4000 peaks and 665 features were sampled to standardize feature dimensionality and cleaned to remove noise. A statistical analysis is then conducted to select the most informative features, followed by dimensionality reduction using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Finally, classification is performed using a Support Vector Classification (SVC) model, fine-tuned to the processed data to maximize accuracy. With a 5-fold cross validation (CV), the average nested accuracy score is 0.8317 ± 0.0212. This integrated approach demonstrates the potential for advancing automated sorting technologies in composite recycling applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (3rd Edition))
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24 pages, 3861 KB  
Article
Mechanical and Anti-Icing Properties of Polyurethane/Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites with Carbonized Coffee Grounds
by Seong Baek Yang, Min Ji Woo, Donghyeon Lee, Jong-Hyun Kim, Sang Yong Nam and Dong-Jun Kwon
Materials 2025, 18(19), 4533; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194533 - 29 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1007
Abstract
Spent coffee grounds represent an abundant waste resource with potential for sustainable material applications. This study investigates the use of carbonized spent coffee grounds (CSCG) as fillers in polyurethane (PU) coatings for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates to enhance mechanical durability and anti-icing [...] Read more.
Spent coffee grounds represent an abundant waste resource with potential for sustainable material applications. This study investigates the use of carbonized spent coffee grounds (CSCG) as fillers in polyurethane (PU) coatings for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates to enhance mechanical durability and anti-icing performance. SCGs were dried, sieved (<100 µm), and oxidatively carbonized in air at 100–300 °C for 60–120 min, then incorporated into PU at 1 or 5 wt.% and applied by spray-coating. A full-factorial design was employed to evaluate the effects of carbonization temperature, particle size, and filler loading. The optimized formulation (300 °C, 100 µm, 5 wt.%) showed the highest water contact angle (103.5°), lowest work of adhesion (55.8 mJ/m2), and improved thermal stability with 60% char yield. Mechanical testing revealed increased tensile modulus with reduced strain, and differential scanning calorimetry indicated an upward shift in glass-transition temperature, suggesting restricted chain mobility. Ice formation at 0 °C was sparse and discontinuous, attributed to lowered polar surface energy, rough surface texture, and porous carbon morphology. These results demonstrate that CSCGs are effective sustainable fillers for PU coatings, offering combined improvements in mechanical, thermal, and anti-icing properties suitable for aerospace, wind power, and other icing-prone applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (3rd Edition))
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15 pages, 1489 KB  
Article
Dissolution Kinetics in Plasma-Enhanced Nitric Acid Solvolysis of CFRCs
by Dimitrios Marinis, Ergina Farsari and Eleftherios Amanatides
Materials 2025, 18(18), 4242; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18184242 - 10 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 740
Abstract
The dissolution kinetics in conventional nitric acid and plasma-enhanced nitric acid solvolysis of composites were investigated. Unidirectional carbon fiber epoxy laminates originating from the scar of wind turbine blades were used for the study. The carbon fiber retrieval rate was experimentally determined as [...] Read more.
The dissolution kinetics in conventional nitric acid and plasma-enhanced nitric acid solvolysis of composites were investigated. Unidirectional carbon fiber epoxy laminates originating from the scar of wind turbine blades were used for the study. The carbon fiber retrieval rate was experimentally determined as a function of dissolution time and composite mass. A kinetic model, which included disintegration of the polymer matrix and the mass transport of polymer fragments to the liquid phase, was implemented to investigate the main parameters that affect the dissolution rate. The plasma enhancement and the increase of the composite mass favor the carbon fiber retrieval rate, while process time slows down the matrix dissolution rate. The composite surface in contact with the liquid, solid-to-liquid volume ratio, solubility of the polymer matrix, and disintegration and mass transport rate coefficients have a significant effect on the dissolution rate, and the rate-limiting factors were revealed and analyzed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (3rd Edition))
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