Synthesis, Characterization and Application of Polymer-Based Materials, 3rd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Numerous commodities and advanced materials of industrial importance used for structural or functional applications are composed of polymers as their basic constituent. In many cases, polymer-based materials (PBMs) contain two or more phases or components with properly designed morphologies and specific interfacial interactions. The aim of such combinations is to achieve the desired set of properties for a particular area of application. Examples include different types of polymer composites, in which a polymer matrix is reinforced or modified by organic or inorganic, macro-, micro-, or nanosized structures of different shapes. Polymer blends and hybrids, characterized by interactions between their constituents at the micro-, nanoscale, or molecular level, may also show synergistic properties that are not present in the individual components.

PBMs may be based on synthetic, natural, bio-based, recycled, or biodegradable materials, as well as on combinations of polymers with biologically active molecules, such as proteins, enzymes, DNA, and RNA, among others. Their areas of application are broad and continuously expanding, ranging from self-cleaning, self-healing, conductive, magnetic, sensing, and electromagnetic-shielding polymers to polymer-supported biocatalysts, functional hydrogels, biomedical materials, drug-delivery systems, and materials for food and environmental applications.

Recent advances in polymer synthesis and modification, polymer assembly, and conventional and non-conventional processing techniques have resulted in a large number of PBMs with tailored and multifunctional properties and potential applications on different scales. At the same time, sustainability, the use of renewable resources, recycling, and the development of environmentally friendly polymer materials are becoming increasingly important. The design and optimization of advanced PBMs require careful control of their composition, morphology, interfaces, and processing conditions, as well as a better understanding of the relationships between structure, processing, properties, and performance. Advanced characterization methods play an essential role in establishing these relationships.

Following the success of the previous editions, the aim of this third edition of the Special Issue of Molecules is to present a selection of research papers and reviews illustrating recent developments and new trends in the synthesis, characterization, processing, and application of polymer-based materials.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Synthesis and modification of polymer-based materials with tailored properties;
• Structure–processing–property relationships in polymer-based materials;
• Advanced characterization of polymer-based materials;
• Polymer composites, hybrids, and micro- and nanostructured materials;
• Advanced and non-conventional processing of polymer-based materials;
• Polymer-based materials containing natural, bio-based, recycled, and/or biodegradable constituents;
• Sustainable and recyclable polymer-based materials;
• Polymer-based materials as supports or carriers for biologically active molecules;
• Applications of polymer-based materials in biology, medicine, food, and environmental technologies;
• Stimuli-responsive, self-healing, and other smart polymer-based materials;
• Conductive, magnetic, sensing, energy-related, and electromagnetic-shielding polymer-based materials;
• Polymer-based materials for engineering and electronic applications.

Dr. Nadya Vasileva Dencheva
Dr. Zlatan Zlatev Denchev
Guest Editors

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