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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Mechanical, Physical Properties and Thermal Characteristics of Nanofiller-Reinforced Composites
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Mechanical, Physical Properties and Thermal Characteristics of Nanofiller-Reinforced Composites

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 2640

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jiaxing Shao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Interests: preparation and application research of lightweight, strong, tough, and impact-resistant composite materials; research on temperature-related mechanical properties of heat-resistant fibers and their composite materials
Dr. Ying Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Aeronautics, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing 400074, China
Interests: polymer and composites; high temperature properties; extreme mechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanofiller-reinforced composites have become a research hotspot in the field of materials science in recent years. By dispersing nanofillers (such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, nano-silicon dioxide, etc.) into the matrix, the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of the composites can be significantly enhanced. Compared to traditional composites, nanofillers achieve breakthrough optimization of performance at very low addition levels due to their extremely high specific surface areas and unique interface effects. Such materials show broad application prospects in fields such as aerospace, electronic devices, new energy, and buildings.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials will explore several key themes on nanofiller-reinforced composites, including, but not limited to, their preparation techniques (such as 3D printing and in situ synthesis), functional applications (electromagnetic shielding, low dielectric materials, photocatalysis), mechanical optimization (strengthening and toughening mechanism, heterogeneous structure design), and thermal management (super insulation, high-temperature stability). The objective is to promote technological innovation in preparation, explore multi-functional application scenarios, and facilitate theoretical and performance optimization research. Researchers are encouraged to contribute original research articles or review articles on the preparation, application, theoretical modeling, and simulation methods of nanofiller-reinforced composites.

Dr. Jiaxing Shao
Dr. Ying Li
Guest Editors

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. Nanomaterials 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • nanofiller
  • composite materials
  • microstructure design
  • performance characterization
  • functionalization
  • strengthening mechanism
  • theoretical modeling

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 5147 KB  
Article
Self-Humidifying and Super-Protonic Conductivity of SPEEK-Based Composite Proton Exchange Membranes Incorporated by Functionalized MXene and Modified TiO2 Nanofillers
by Manting Huang, Ai Song, Xingliu Ben, Weijia Ji, Yuxuan Pan and Huaxin Rao
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(8), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16080446 - 8 Apr 2026
Viewed by 416
Abstract
MXene, as a suitable and alternative 2D nanofiller incorporated into a proton exchange membrane (PEM), has recently received considerable attention because of desired mechanical stability, promising conductivity, and active surface functional groups. However, agglomeration or sedimentation in PEMs, as well as the water [...] Read more.
MXene, as a suitable and alternative 2D nanofiller incorporated into a proton exchange membrane (PEM), has recently received considerable attention because of desired mechanical stability, promising conductivity, and active surface functional groups. However, agglomeration or sedimentation in PEMs, as well as the water retention capacity under low humidity of MXene, are limiting factors in the field of PEMs. In this paper, modified MXene and TiO2 nanoparticles used as functional nanofillers were incorporated into sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) to prepare novel SPEEK-based composite PEMs. The effects of the nanofiller contents on self-humidifying and protonic conductivity of the composite PEMs were also investigated under different temperatures. When the contents of functionalized MXene and modified TiO2 are 5 wt.%, proton conductivity, water uptake and methanol permeability of the composite PEMs can be up to 0.143 S/cm, 60% and 2.27 × 10−7 cm2/s, respectively, which represent increases of about 192%, about 38% and a decrease of 47%, respectively, compared with that of primary SPEEK PEM. Under the synergistic action of functionalized MXene providing a higher number of exchangeable proton sites, modified TiO2 with inherent hydrophilicity enhancing water retention and Pt providing catalytic sites for the H2/O2 reaction to generate water in situ, the self-humidifying capability and proton conductivity of the composite PEMs were improved significantly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical, Physical Properties and Thermal Characteristics of Nanofiller-Reinforced Composites)
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14 pages, 4548 KB  
Article
Performance Evaluation of Nano-Silica-Reinforced Mortar Containing Waste Tire Rubber and Recycled Fine Aggregate: Mechanical Properties, Frost Resistance, and Microstructure Assessment
by Yan Yan, Guofu Chen, Hang Chen and Zhukai Li
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(21), 1607; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15211607 - 22 Oct 2025
Viewed by 736
Abstract
In the preparation of rubber-recycled cement mortar (RRCM), recycled fine aggregates (RFA) were used to replace 95% of natural fine aggregates (NFA) by mass, with an additional 5% of NFA replaced by rubber particles (RP). Additionally, nano-silica (NS) was incorporated to replace ordinary [...] Read more.
In the preparation of rubber-recycled cement mortar (RRCM), recycled fine aggregates (RFA) were used to replace 95% of natural fine aggregates (NFA) by mass, with an additional 5% of NFA replaced by rubber particles (RP). Additionally, nano-silica (NS) was incorporated to replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by mass at a replacement of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%. The study aimed to investigate the effects of NS on the mechanical properties, freeze–thaw resistance, and microstructure of RRCM, using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTG), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reveal the enhancement mechanisms. The results indicated that the compressive strength and flexural strength of RRCM at 28 days decreased by 10.3% and 10.1%, respectively, compared to NCM. After adding 1–3% NS, the mechanical properties of RRCM were improved, with the enhancements increasing as the NS content increased. Specifically, RRCM3 exhibited a 7.7% and 7.6% improvement in compressive and flexural strength, respectively, compared to RRCM0. After 30 freeze–thaw cycles, the strength loss rate of RCM was 27.51%, whereas the strength loss rate of RRCM3 was reduced to 20.13%, with better overall appearance integrity. Moreover, NS promoted the hydration of cement; reduced the contents of tricalcium silicate (C3S), and dicalcium silicate (C2S) and calcium hydroxide (CH); and facilitated the formation of additional hydration products that filled the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The incorporation of 3% NS was found to provide the optimal improvement in RRCM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical, Physical Properties and Thermal Characteristics of Nanofiller-Reinforced Composites)
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20 pages, 4411 KB  
Article
The Influence of the Defect Rate of Graphene on Its Reinforcing Capability Within High-Entropy Alloys
by Xianhe Zhang, Hongyun Wang, Chunpei Zhang, Cun Zhang and Xuyao Zhang
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(15), 1177; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15151177 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1075
Abstract
Graphene, a remarkable two-dimensional material, enhances the mechanical properties of high-entropy alloys as a reinforcing phase. This study investigated the influence of vacancy defects in graphene on the strengthening effect of FeNiCrCoCu high-entropy alloy through molecular dynamics simulations. The findings reveal that vacancy [...] Read more.
Graphene, a remarkable two-dimensional material, enhances the mechanical properties of high-entropy alloys as a reinforcing phase. This study investigated the influence of vacancy defects in graphene on the strengthening effect of FeNiCrCoCu high-entropy alloy through molecular dynamics simulations. The findings reveal that vacancy defects diminish graphene’s strength, resulting in its premature failure. In tensile tests, graphene with defects lowers the yield stress of the composite, yet it retains the ability to impede dislocations. Conversely, graphene exhibits a more pronounced strengthening effect during compression. Specifically, when the deletion of C atoms is less than 1%, the impact is negligible; between 1% and 6%, the strengthening effect diminishes; and when it surpasses 6%, the strengthening effect virtually ceases to exist. This research offers a theoretical foundation for optimizing graphene-reinforced composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical, Physical Properties and Thermal Characteristics of Nanofiller-Reinforced Composites)
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