Functional Polymers for Energy and Environmental Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Functional polymers represent a class of important materials with functional properties, in addition to their intrinsic properties. These functional properties include electronic conductance, photo- and electro-luminescence, energy storage and conversion, performance of separation, etc. Functional polymers have been applied in varied fields such as energy and the environment. This Special Issue will disseminate original ideas and concepts and summarize the latest progress through studies on functional polymers for energy and environmental applications.

Energy polymers range from the generation and storage to the transportation of energy. Energy applications require the combination of energy-related functional properties with mechanical robustness, lightweight, high efficiency, intelligence and reliability. As a class of major energy materials, conducting polymers are generally classified into ionic, electronic conducting polymers and conducting polymeric composites. Conducting polymers have been applied as polymeric electrolytes, polymers electrostatic capacitors and electrode materials of cells, among others. Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) represent one of the most promising applications of energy conversion. For polymer-based OPVs, it is critical to understand the correlation of polymer properties with the performance and stability of solar cells. Polymer semiconductors including thermoelectrics and electrochromic materials are applied for energy transition. In addition to photovoltaic conversion, functional polymers are involved in the conversion from chemical to electric energy. Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have shown potential in various applications due to their high energy conversion, fuel portability and eco-friendliness. For energy applications, this class of functional polymers should be regulated in terms of synthesis, characterization, and structure with regard to properties. The latest advances in this sector will be reflected in this Special Issue.

Functional polymers have also been widely applied in environmental sectors. These polymers can be derived from renewable, recycled and waste carbon resources and their combinations. To reduce environmental impact, it is vital that synthetic polymers can be recycled, biodegraded or reprocessed throughout their life cycles. This Special Issue will provide an overview of the research in this field, focusing on synthetic routes with renewable carbon feedstocks, the self-healing and reprocessing of synthetic polymers, and material characterization and applications. In addition, smart and functional polymers with chemical, physical, or structural responses to changes in environmental conditions are discussed. For applications in the water sector, functional polymers can act as chemical additives, polymeric membranes and coatings for polymer pipelines, which can be applied for the adsorption and/or removal of organic and metallic pollutants from industrial wastewater. This Special Issue requests original contributions integrating synthesis, characterization, theoretical analysis, and computational simulation, focusing on the correlation of synthesis and structures with properties.

We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Energy generation;
• Energy storage;
• Functional properties with mechanical robustness, lightweight, high efficiency, intelligence and reliability;
• Conducting polymers;
• Conducting polymeric composites;
• Polymeric electrolytes;
• Polymers electrostatic capacitors;
• Polymeric electrode materials;
• Organic photovoltaics;
• Fuel cell membranes;
• Degradation of polymers under different environmental conditions;
• Degradation pathways (biological, photochemical, oxidative and hydrolytic);
• Environmental blends and composites;
• Recycling of polymeric materials;
• New polymers/blends/composites derived from natural sources (chemical and biosynthetic routes);
• Reprocessing;
• Recycling;
• Solid-waste management;
• Application of polymers in the water sector.

Prof. Dr. Sixun Zheng
Dr. Rentong Yu
Collection 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. 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 collection 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. 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.

• conducting polymers
• conducting polymeric composites
• polymeric electrolytes
• polymers electrostatic capacitors
• polymeric electrode materials
• organic photovoltaics
• fuel cell membranes
• degradation of polymers under different environmental conditions
• degradation pathways (biological, photochemical, oxidative and hydrolytic)
• environmental blends and composites
• recycling of polymeric materials