Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Degradable and Antibacterial Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Approximately 367 million metric tons of global petroleum-based polymers were produced in 2020 and their consumption is forecast to double by 2050. Petroleum-based plastics are not sustainable and might exacerbate the risk for air, water, and soil pollutions. Bio-based and biodegradable polymers with outstanding mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological properties have been recently developed as alternatives to petroleum-based counterparts. There are many cost-effective sustainable environmentally friendly feedstocks or biomass that can be utilized to produce bio-based polymers and composites. Wood, lignocellulose, starch, sugars, proteins, and plant oils are the most widely used renewable feedstocks in making different bio-based polymers for different applications. Biodegradable polymers have been developed to fulfill most of the functions of petroleum-based materials in applications ranging from packaging to durable goods and have a major advantage over nonbiodegradable polymers in terms of degradation. The aim of this Special Issue is to cover new research topics related to biodegradable and antibacterial polymers, blends, gels, dispersions, and composites, from renewable resources, bacterial fermentation, and polymerization of biomonomers. Studies on the characterization, processing, rheology, shape-memory effect, self-healing, applications, and life cycle assessment of different types of bio-based and/or biodegradable polymers and composites are within the scope of this Special Issue. Researchers are cordially invited to contribute original research and review articles to this Special Issue.

Dr. Samy Madbouly
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. Molecules 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 2700 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.