Smart Polymers and Polymeric Structures

Dear Colleagues,

Smart materials exhibit a fast, repeatable, reversible and significant change in at least one of their physical properties in response to an external stimulus. It is important to emphasize on repeatable and significant, otherwise all materials can fall under the category of smart materials. Changes in physical properties may occur in form of change in optical properties, physical dimensions, geometry, net electric charge, to name a few, in response to an external stimuli such as electric field, temperature, stress, strain, pH, etc. Smart materials and structures can be found in form of solid solution, compound and composite; and can be characterized under three main categories of smart-polymers, smart-metals, and smart-ceramics. Smart structures consist of smart and/or other materials and/or elements.

This special issue aims to gather original research on materials, with focus on smart materials and structures, including but not limited to electromechanical, electrochromic, mechanoelectric, shape-memory, and thermomechanical polymers, metals and ceramics.

Experimental and numerical research on design, fabrication, characterization, properties, case studies, and applications of smart materials and structures are welcomed.

Some topics of interest are experimental and numerical research on:

• Ionic/electric properties of smart polymers
• Electromechanical materials (polymer/ceramic/metal)
• Electrochromic materials (polymer/metal-oxide)
• Thermomechanical materials
• Piezoelectric materials

Dr. Reza Montazami
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

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