Advances in Mechanical, Thermal and Electrical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanocomposite Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 March 2026 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polymer nanocomposites; scanning probe microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are currently witnessing remarkable progress in understanding and tailoring the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites. Appropriate control of percolated or segregated filler networks can directly influence their stiffness, toughness, conductivity, and heat transport. The interfaces between polymer chains and fillers are decisive for these properties. They govern stress transfer, phonon scattering, and charge transport at the nanoscale, and when designed with suitable chemical functionalization, interfacial modifiers, or graded architectures, they minimize interfacial resistance, improve adhesion, and generate multifunctional coupling effects. The polymer architecture itself—including void regions, fractal morphologies, and hierarchical arrangements—further determines how nanoscale interactions manifest in bulk performance.
At the mechanical level, reinforcement can be achieved without compromising flexibility. In thermal management, anisotropic pathways and reduced resistance provide efficient heat dissipation. For electrical properties, optimized filler networks lower percolation thresholds, while dipolar interactions and polarization effects within the matrix further enhance charge storage, dielectric response, and device functionality. Increasingly, coupled effects—thermo-electric, electro-mechanical, and mechano-thermal responses—are attracting attention, opening perspectives for sensing, adaptive materials, and energy harvesting.
This Special Issue invites contributions addressing the mechanical, thermal, electrical, and coupled properties of polymer nanocomposites, with emphasis on interfacial characterization, the impact of filler distribution, and multiscale structure–property relationships.
Prof. Dr. Teresa Cuberes
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- polymer nanocomposites
- interface characterization
- mechanical reinforcement
- thermal response
- electrical conductivity
- dipolar interactions
- electro-mechanical response
- thermo-electric response
- mechano-thermal effects
- electro-thermal coupling
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