Multifunctional Materials & Composites

Dear Colleagues,

Multifunctional materials and composites are designed to achieve higher functionality, if compared to their own components, since the best attributes of the single materials can be coupled together to create a brand-new materials that has a broader spectrum of desired properties.

This kind of materials have great potential to cause new, improved performance by reducing dimension, weight, expense, and energy consumption, while enhancing output, safety, and versatility.

Nowadays we can find this kind of multiple function material in nature if we consider, for instance, biological materials, since they are able to perform sensing, and aid recovery, movement, energy conversion, and so on, all in one simple organism. These complex systems have evolved in nature over centuries to reach their level of perfection to fulfil their tasks through self-evolution.

Therefore, scientists are now trying to mimic these materials by designing artificial multifunctional materials by combining materials sciences and engineering know-how in order to recreate these high-performing systems in labs.

Research interests are mainly focused on the electro/thermo-mechanical and physico-chemical behaviour of advanced engineering materials, including but not restricted to metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and carbon-based nanocomposites, to custom-made membranes, smart multifunctional coatings and 3D fiber networks, amongst others.

Research groups are thus encouraged to create their next-generation materials by designing, developing and engineering them, aiming at a wider range of functional and structural applications, endorsing the present and future challenges in energy conversion, environmental sustainability and healthcare promotion.

To reach this goal, synergistic work has to be carried out by coupling experimental and theorethical approaches. Cutting-edge experimental techniques, such as in-situ electron microscopies and spectroscopies, morphological analysis, and mechanical tests, in combination with theoretical modelling (quantum mechanical and finite-element calculations) are needed.

This short introduction to this Special Issue only scratches the surface of all the concepts developed to date, on which we welcome papers.

Dr. Micaela Castellino
Guest Editor

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