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Advances in Functional Polymer Materials: Design, Synthesis, and Performance

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 356

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Interests: polymer thin films; ultra-stable glasses; polymer nanocomposites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional polymer materials have gained significant attention due to their tailored properties and versatile applications across various high-tech industries. Recent advances in polymer chemistry, molecular design, and innovative synthesis strategies have enabled the development of polymers with enhanced mechanical, optical, electrical, and stimuli-responsive properties. These materials are critical for next-generation technologies, including flexible electronics, biomedical devices, energy storage, coatings, and smart materials.

This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research on the design, synthesis, characterization, and performance evaluation of functional polymer materials. Topics of interest include advanced polymer architectures, responsive and self-healing polymers, bioinspired and biodegradable materials, nanostructured polymers, and high-performance composites. Contributions focusing on novel fabrication methods, structure–property relationships, and emerging applications are particularly welcome.

We invite researchers from academia and industry to submit original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that explore recent breakthroughs and future directions in functional polymer materials. This collection will serve as a comprehensive reference for scientists and engineers developing innovative polymer-based solutions for modern technological challenges.

Dr. Aparna Beena Unni
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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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
  • polymer synthesis
  • advanced polymer architectures
  • stimuli-responsive polymers
  • self-healing polymers
  • biodegradable and sustainable polymers
  • nanostructured polymers
  • polymer composites
  • smart materials
  • high-performance polymers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

24 pages, 7375 KiB  
Article
Effect of Silicone Rubbers on the Properties of RDX-Based PBXs and Their Application in the Explosive Hardening of Steel
by Konrad Szydło, Agnieszka Stolarczyk, Tomasz Jarosz, Barbara Lisiecka, Sylwia Waśkiewicz, Krzysztof Lukaszkowicz, Klaudiusz Gołombek, Jakub Polis and Mateusz Polis
Materials 2025, 18(10), 2311; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18102311 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 179
Abstract
Modern energetic materials (EMs) have many different civil applications. One of their most promising applications in civil engineering is explosive hardening, which facilitates the fast and cost-effective improvement of mechanical properties in the treated material. In this work, we present the results of [...] Read more.
Modern energetic materials (EMs) have many different civil applications. One of their most promising applications in civil engineering is explosive hardening, which facilitates the fast and cost-effective improvement of mechanical properties in the treated material. In this work, we present the results of our investigation on the explosive hardening of S235JR Steel with PBX formulations containing silicone binders and 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX). In terms of safety, the impact (5–15 J) and friction (240–360 N) sensitivity of the tested plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) was verified, simultaneously with DSC tests, energy of activation calculations, and critical diameter measurement. The developed material, prepared with techniques similar to the anticipated working conditions, is characterized by a high detonation velocity (up to 7300 m/s), low sensitivity for mechanical factors (10 J, 288 N), and a small critical diameter (3.3 mm). The developed PBX based on a silicone binder demonstrated grain fragmentation, recrystallization, and an increase in the surface hardness of S235JR steel, which was confirmed with SEM, EBSD, microstructure analysis, and microhardness studies. Full article
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