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Polymer Mechanochemistry: From Fundamentals to Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 271

Special Issue Editor

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
Interests: single-molecule force spectroscopy; polymer mechanochemistry; mechanolithography; mechanically responsive materials; atomic force microscopy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled "Polymer Mechanochemistry: From Fundamentals to Applications", seeks to delve into the intricate relationship between mechanical forces and chemical processes in polymer systems. Mechanochemistry, particularly in the context of single-molecule force chemistry, has emerged as a pivotal area of research, revealing how mechanical stimuli can induce significant chemical transformations at the molecular level.

Furthermore, this Special Issue will encompass a broad spectrum of topics, including the fundamental principles of mechanochemical reactions, the role of mechanical stress in polymer behavior, mechanochemistry in biomolecules, polymer mechanochemistry in responsive materials and additive manufacturing, and advancements in experimental techniques that probe single-molecule interactions. We welcome submissions of original research articles and reviews that explore both theoretical and practical aspects of polymer mechanochemistry.

Dr. Yiran Li
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Polymers 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 2700 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

  • polymer mechanochemistry
  • single-molecule force spectroscopy
  • mechanical force
  • stress-induced mechanochemistry
  • mechanochemical principles
  • single-molecule mechanochemistry
  • mechanically responsive materials
  • additive manufacturing
  • biomechanics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

31 pages, 6573 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Effect of Exposure to Liquid Chemicals on the Strength Performance of 3D-Printed Parts from Different Filament Types
by Arslan Kaptan
Polymers 2025, 17(12), 1637; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17121637 - 12 Jun 2025
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, has emerged as a versatile and accessible technology for prototyping and functional part production across a wide range of industrial applications. One of the critical performance-limiting factors in AM is the chemical resistance [...] Read more.
Additive manufacturing (AM), particularly fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, has emerged as a versatile and accessible technology for prototyping and functional part production across a wide range of industrial applications. One of the critical performance-limiting factors in AM is the chemical resistance of thermoplastic materials, which directly influences their structural integrity, durability, and suitability in chemically aggressive environments. This study systematically investigates the chemical resistance of eight different widely utilized FDM filaments—acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA), polyamide (PA, Nylon), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), polylactic acid (PLA), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl butyral (PVB)—by examining their tensile strength and impact resistance after immersion in representative chemical agents: distilled water, ethanol (99.5%), isopropyl alcohol (75% and 99%), acetic acid (8%), hydrochloric acid (37%), hydrogen peroxide (30%), and acetone (99.5%). Quantitative mechanical testing was conducted in accordance with ASTM D638 and ASTM D256 standards, and statistical variability was accounted for using triplicate measurements with standard deviation analysis. The results reveal that PP exhibits the highest chemical resilience, retaining over 97% of its mechanical properties even after 7 days of immersion in aggressive solvents like acetone. PETG and ASA also demonstrated quite successful stability (>90% retention) in mildly corrosive environments such as alcohols and weak acids. In contrast, PLA, due to its low crystallinity and polar ester backbone, and PVB, due to its high amorphous content, showed substantial degradation: tensile strength losses exceeding 70% and impact resistance dropping below 20% in acetone. Moderate resistance was observed in ABS and PC, which maintained structural properties in neutral or weakly reactive conditions but suffered mechanical deterioration (>50% loss) in solvent-rich media. A strong correlation (r > 0.95) between tensile and impact strength reduction was found for most materials, indicating that chemical attack affects both static and dynamic mechanical performance uniformly. The findings of this study provide a robust framework for selecting appropriate 3D printing materials in applications exposed to solvents, acids, or oxidizing agents. PP is recommended for harsh chemical environments; PETG and ASA are suitable for moderate exposure scenarios, whereas PLA and PVB should be limited to low-risk, esthetic, or disposable applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Mechanochemistry: From Fundamentals to Applications)
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