Self-Assembly in Polymer Composites
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecular Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2023) | Viewed by 612
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Designing multifunctional polymer composites is one of the most active research areas of materials science with numerous applications in aerospace, automobile, military, sport, medicine, etc. Nature provides inspiring examples of such composites. For instance, bones consist of a mineralized organic matrix, in which hydroxyapatite and collagen are the principal mineral and organic component, respectively, which react to mechanical loading in a synergetic manner, providing bones with their tensile and compressive strain. Nacre is another beautiful example of a natural composite consisting of hexagonal platelets of aragonite, organized in continuous parallel lamina, which are separated by elastic biopolymers, such as chitin, lustrin, and silk-like proteins. This structure provides the nacre with excellent energy-dissipating properties, providing mollusks with an effective defense against predator attacks. Mimicking the nanostructure of bones and nacres has already allowed us to obtain materials with suitable mechanical characteristics. Apart from biomimetic composite materials, a large number of synthetic ones have also been proposed which have no direct analogues in nature. For example, co-assembly of block-copolymers and inorganic nanoparticles has been explored for photonic applications exploring high refractive index contrast and surface plasmon effects.
Despite the impressive progress in the field, the phenomena which govern the assembly of the organic and inorganic components in the polymer composites are not fully understood. In particular, the mechanisms by which the crystal nucleation and growth in the bones are controlled by the organic matrix, secreted by the living cells, are still debated. Knowledge of these mechanisms is critically important for the development of peptide-like hydrogels for hard-tissue regeneration. Many questions remain open in the area of polymer–nanoparticle mixtures, such as the influence of the external fields (electrical, magnetic, or shear force ones) and solvents on polymer and particle co-assembly. The phase diagrams of the particle/polymer mixtures need to be elucidated.
In this Special Issue of Molecules, we invite you to send contributions concerning any experimental or theoretical aspect of natural and synthetic polymer composites, with emphasis on the mechanisms of self-assembly phenomena which lead to their remarkable properties and structural organization.
Dr. Valeriy A. Luchnikov
Guest Editor
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