Polymer Processing and Engineering
A section of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).
Section Information
Polymer processing is commonly defined as the “activity performed on polymeric materials to increase their usefulness”. It involves not only the shaping but also the synthesis, transformation, compounding, functionalization, and stabilization of materials. The combination of these operations determines the final properties and performance of any polymeric product: “Polymer, Processing and Performance all go hand in hand and cannot be decoupled”. Today the development of new materials with improved properties and easy processability is particularly urgent because it offers relief to the environment and increases the acceptance of plastic products. New materials and products cannot occur without improving existing machines, which can even lead to radically new manufacturing processes. The past decade has seen great progress in the design and control of polymer processing operations along with the development of innovative products and fabrication methods. Most of these successes are scattered throughout a wide scientific and technical literature. The purpose of this section is to coherently collect these studies and present them to a wide industrial and academic community.
Topics include, but are not limited to the following:
- New process development
- New materials, additives, and fillers
- Reactive extrusion and co-extrusion
- Mixing and blending
- Long-fiber composites
- Composites pultrusion and laminates
- Fiber spinning and electrospinning
- Film casting and film blowing
- Blow molding and Thermoforming
- Injection, compression, transfer, and rotational molding
- Additive manufacturing and 3D printing
- Bio-printing and bio-fabrication
- Foaming and barrier properties
- Coating and thin films
- Welding and sintering
- Surface treatments
- Process control
- Simulation and optimization of process
- Products testing and analysis
- Polymer rheology and mechanical properties
- Polymer design
- Modified polymer materials
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Applications of Polymers in Photovoltaic Cells (Deadline: 19 May 2022)
- Optical Properties and Color Stability of Polymers used for Dental Applications (Deadline: 20 May 2022)
- Functional Adsorbents (Deadline: 20 May 2022)
- Advanced Polymeric Films (Deadline: 20 May 2022)
- The Design and Application of Functional Polyolefins (Deadline: 20 May 2022)
- Functional Hydrogel with Excellent Mechanical Properties (Deadline: 25 May 2022)
- Polymer Micro/Nanofabrication and Manufacturing (Deadline: 28 May 2022)
- Printed Organic Electronics—Solution Processable Polymers and Interlayers (Deadline: 30 May 2022)
- Advances in Fabric Technology (Deadline: 31 May 2022)
- Additive Manufacturing of Reinforced Polymers (Deadline: 10 June 2022)
- Advanced Techniques Utilized in Smart Composites (Deadline: 13 June 2022)
- Structural Integrity of Polymeric Components Produced by Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 13 June 2022)
- Polymer Composites Used in the 3D Printing Process (Deadline: 15 June 2022)
- Polymeric Nanocomposites for Wearable Applications (Deadline: 20 June 2022)
- Polymers in Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 20 June 2022)
- Microplastics and Nanoplastics: Generation, Surface Properties and Solutions (Deadline: 30 June 2022)
- Advanced Materials in 3D/4D Printing Technology (Deadline: 30 June 2022)
- Energy Storage Devices for Flexible Electronics (Deadline: 30 June 2022)
- Reactive Extrusion of Polymer Blends and Composites (Deadline: 30 June 2022)
- Lignin Based Materials: Structure, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 30 June 2022)
- Biobased Polymers in Additive Manufacturing: Environmental and Biomedical Applications (Deadline: 5 July 2022)
- Experimental and Numerical Investigations of the Flow of Polymeric Fluids (Deadline: 5 July 2022)
- Mechanical Behavior of Polymers: Processing and Characterization (Deadline: 10 July 2022)
- Polymer Electrolytes for Batteries (Deadline: 10 July 2022)
- Rubber/Silica Composites (Deadline: 15 July 2022)
- Durability of Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (FRP) Composites (Deadline: 15 July 2022)
- Function of Polymers in Encapsulation Process II (Deadline: 15 July 2022)
- Processing and Applications of Biopolymers (Deadline: 15 July 2022)
- Injection Molding of Filler-Loaded Polymer Composites (Deadline: 20 July 2022)
- Multifunctional Advanced Textile Materials (Deadline: 20 July 2022)
- 3D Printing of Polymer Composites (Deadline: 20 July 2022)
- Advances in Sustainable Plastics and Polymer Composites (Deadline: 22 July 2022)
- Advanced Polymer Composite Materials: Processing, Modeling, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 22 July 2022)
- Advanced Measurement, Prediction, and Testing Techniques in Polymer Manufacturing, Processing, and End-Use (Deadline: 25 July 2022)
- Processing of High Performance Polymeric Materials: Modeling and Characterization (Deadline: 31 July 2022)
- Thermal Processing of Starch-Based Polymers (Deadline: 31 July 2022)
- Polymer Rheology II: Fundamentals and Applications (Deadline: 31 July 2022)
- Adhesive Polymers as Efficient Binders for Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 5 August 2022)
- Processing and Analysis of Natural Polymers (Deadline: 10 August 2022)
- Polymer-Based Dielectric Composites (Deadline: 10 August 2022)
- Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers: Experiment and Modelling (Deadline: 10 August 2022)
- Polymeric-Based Materials Produced by Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 15 August 2022)
- Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Properties of Conducting Polymers (Deadline: 15 August 2022)
- Polymeric Nanocomposites for Tissue Engineering and Wound Dressing (Deadline: 15 August 2022)
- Durability and Degradation of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 20 August 2022)
- Durability and Modification of Wood Surfaces (Deadline: 20 August 2022)
- Surfaces and Aesthetic Properties of Polymers (Deadline: 20 August 2022)
- Polymer Flooding and Rheology (Deadline: 25 August 2022)
- Advances in Polymer Recycling (Deadline: 25 August 2022)
- Polymers and Polymer-Based Composites for Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 25 August 2022)
- Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Polymer Processing (Deadline: 31 August 2022)
- Eco-Friendly Polymers and Polymer Composites (Deadline: 31 August 2022)
- Progress in 3D Printing (Deadline: 10 September 2022)
- Rheology-Informed Additive Manufacturing of Polymers (Deadline: 15 September 2022)
- Elastomers in Electronic Applications in 2022 (Deadline: 15 September 2022)
- Frontiers in Polymer Processing (Deadline: 15 September 2022)
- Multifunctional Polymer Molding Processing of Polymers (Deadline: 15 September 2022)
- Polymer Scaffold for Tissue Engineering Applications (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Crystallization in Polymer Science (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Polymer-Based Dielectric Materials (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Functional Metal-Polymer Composites: Formation, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Permanently Porous Polymers (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Recent Advances in Polymer Rheology (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Progress in Surface Modification of Polymers: Their Structure, Properties and Applications (Deadline: 20 September 2022)
- Chemical and Mechano-Chemical Modification of Polymers and Organic Materials (Deadline: 25 September 2022)
- Rheology and Processing of Polymer Materials (Deadline: 30 September 2022)
- Advances in Polymer Processing and Molding (Deadline: 30 September 2022)
- Mechanical and Structure–Property Relationships of Polymer Composites (Deadline: 30 September 2022)
- Issues in the Comparison between Artificially and Naturally Degraded Polymer Materials (Deadline: 30 September 2022)
- Frontiers in 3D and 4D Printing for Polymers (Deadline: 30 September 2022)
- Polymers for Chemosensing II (Deadline: 5 October 2022)
- Fatigue and Aging Degradation of Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 5 October 2022)
- Advanced Electrospinning Technology (Deadline: 10 October 2022)
- Stabilization of Bio-Based Polymeric Materials (Deadline: 10 October 2022)
- Polymers for Additive Manufacturing (Deadline: 10 October 2022)
- Processing and Simulation of Polymer Composite Materials (Deadline: 15 October 2022)
- Fabrication and Application of Electrospun Nanofibers (Deadline: 20 October 2022)
- Advanced Polymeric Materials in Injection Molding (Deadline: 20 October 2022)
- Self-Assembled Functional Macromolecular Materials (Deadline: 20 October 2022)
- Polymer Composites for 3D Printing (Deadline: 31 October 2022)
- Polyimide: Preparation, Characteristics, Properties, Processing, and Applications (Deadline: 31 October 2022)
- Recent Progress in Laser Materials Processing: Metals and Polymers (Deadline: 10 November 2022)
- Polymer Surface Modification: From Structure to Properties (Deadline: 20 November 2022)
- Advances in Polymers Processing and Injection Molding (Deadline: 20 November 2022)
- Frontiers in Injection Molding of Polymers (Deadline: 10 December 2022)
- Fabrication of Polymer Materials Using 3D/4D Printing for Different Applications (Deadline: 15 December 2022)
- Advanced Polymer Simulation and Processing (Deadline: 18 December 2022)
- Injection Molding of Polymers (Deadline: 25 December 2022)
- Applications of Lasers in Polymer Science (Deadline: 30 December 2022)
- Polymeric Materials for Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Structures (Deadline: 31 December 2022)
- Advances in Screw Processing of Polymeric Materials - In Memory of Professor James Lindsay White (Deadline: 31 March 2023)
- Laser Processing of Polymers: Induced Effects and Functionalization (Deadline: 30 April 2023)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Advanced Manufacturing for Polymers
- Biopolymers and Biopolymer Based Composites: Processing, Properties, Durability
- Feature Papers in Polymer Processing and Engineering
- Plastics Technology and Engineering
- Polymer Composite Processing
- Polymer/Biopolymer Stabilization and Degradation
- Progress in Polymer Processing and Engineering