Polymers

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vladimir Kolesov

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Guest Editor

Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Interests: radio physics and physical electronics; precision measurements; measurement of weak signals; application of microwave technology in biology and medicine; nanoelectronics; nanotechnology; molecular and bioelectronics; microenergetics; sensors; smartmaterials; metamaterials; nonlinear dynamic chaos; information technologies
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Dr. Hanxun Qiu

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Guest Editor

School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
Interests: structural design and control of advanced nanocarbon materials and their composites; development of low-dimension functional composite materials; energy storage, catalyst, heat management, and sensor applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the field of nanotechnology, one of the most popular areas for current research and development is polymer nanocomposites, and the investigation field covers a broad range of topics. By definition, polymer nanocomposites are polymers that are reinforced with nanomaterials as nanofillers. Therefore, different polymer nanocomposites can be designed and prepared via the use of reinforcements with different properties, enabling polymer nanocomposites to be used in a variety of applications.

This Special Issue, titled “Polymer Nanocomposites and Their Applications in Device and Construction”, aims to present original works highlighting the latest results in the development of polymer nanocomposites. This Special Issue will not only focus on the synthesis methods, characterization, and properties of polymer nanocomposites, but also on their potential for a variety of applications, such as in devices and construction. We welcome researchers from all related fields to present their latest and outstanding research results in this Special Issue.

Dr. Vladimir Kolesov
Dr. Hanxun Qiu
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 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 composite materials
preset (programmable) properties
controlled properties
sensors
polymer (flexible) electronics
self-restoring polymer coatings
polymer films
biofuel cells
biomimetic materials
metamaterials

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Free-Radical Polymerization of Vinyl Monomers in View of Digital Twins

by Elena F. Sheka

Polymers 2023, 15(14), 2999; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15142999 - 10 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1077

Abstract

The first case of virtual polymerization based on the concept of digital twins (DTs) is presented. The free-radical polymerization of vinyl monomers is considered to be a chain reaction consisting of a set of elementary ones. Those three types, related to the polymerization initiation and propagation as well as to the termination of polymer chain growth, are discussed. Special sets of DTs, whose total number approaches 60, distinguish each reaction type. The calculations are carried out using a semi-empirical version of the unrestricted Hartree–Fock approximation. The main energy and spin-density parameters of the ground state of the DTs are determined. The barrier profiles of two pairs of DTs are calculated, based on which two Evans–Polanyi–Semenov relations, attributed to elementary reactions of type (1) and (2), are constructed. These provide a quite reliable evaluation of the activation energy for the initiation and propagation of the free-radical polymerization of vinyl monomers in all the cases. The decisive role of spins in the formation of the elementary reaction transition states is established. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposites and Their Applications in Device and Construction II)

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Review

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29 pages, 6284 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in Flexible Piezoresistive Arrays: Materials, Design, and Applications

by Shuoyan Xu, Zigan Xu, Ding Li, Tianrui Cui, Xin Li, Yi Yang, Houfang Liu and Tianling Ren

Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2699; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122699 - 16 Jun 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

Spatial distribution perception has become an important trend for flexible pressure sensors, which endows wearable health devices, bionic robots, and human–machine interactive interfaces (HMI) with more precise tactile perception capabilities. Flexible pressure sensor arrays can monitor and extract abundant health information to assist in medical detection and diagnosis. Bionic robots and HMI with higher tactile perception abilities will maximize the freedom of human hands. Flexible arrays based on piezoresistive mechanisms have been extensively researched due to the high performance of pressure-sensing properties and simple readout principles. This review summarizes multiple considerations in the design of flexible piezoresistive arrays and recent advances in their development. First, frequently used piezoresistive materials and microstructures are introduced in which various strategies to improve sensor performance are presented. Second, pressure sensor arrays with spatial distribution perception capability are discussed emphatically. Crosstalk is a particular concern for sensor arrays, where mechanical and electrical sources of crosstalk issues and the corresponding solutions are highlighted. Third, several processing methods are also introduced, classified as printing, field-assisted and laser-assisted fabrication. Next, the representative application works of flexible piezoresistive arrays are provided, including human-interactive systems, healthcare devices, and some other scenarios. Finally, outlooks on the development of piezoresistive arrays are given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Nanocomposites and Their Applications in Device and Construction II)

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