Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.0
4.7
Journals
Polymers
Special Issues
Sustainable Polymer Composite Adsorbents: Preparation, Characterization and Applications
polymers-logo
Submit to Polymers Review for Polymers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainable Polymer Composite Adsorbents: Preparation, Characterization and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2025) | Viewed by 2530

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Lee D. Wilson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C9, Canada
Interests: polymers; host–guest chemistry; hydration effects; adsorption phenomena; molecular recognition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers and their composites have contributed significantly to the field of adsorption science and technology. Polymers can range from synthetic systems such as polyethylene glycol, polyacrylamide, and polystyrene to diverse natural polymers, e.g., starch, cellulose, chitin, and chitosan, that are accompanied by unique structural and functional properties. The unique structural and functional properties are further exemplified for polymer composites, especially examples that reveal the manifold enhancement of their physicochemical properties relative to their component polymer precursors. In an effort to achieve sustainability goals related to water, food, energy, and health, the role of adsorbents needs to be demonstrated. In an effort to develop improved adsorbent materials, polymers and polymer composites are envisaged to contribute to this goal due to their structural diversity and multi-functional properties. Colleagues are invited to contribute original research papers and critical reviews addressing recent progresses on all aspects of innovative adsorbents that address advances in the field of adsorption science and technology. Topics that highlight developments based on unique and innovative adsorbents derived from polymer composites and that include the synthesis, characterization, structure–function relationships, and applications are welcome to be submitted. Adsorbent materials that showcase sustainable chemistry, sustainable engineering, and sustainable technologies of polymers and polymer composites are encouraged to be focused on in this Special Issue.

Dr. Lee D. Wilson
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 composite
  • adsorbent
  • characterization
  • molecular recognition

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 3797 KiB  
Article
Novel Synthesis of Polystyrenesulfonate@AC Based on Olive Tree Leaves Biomass for the Photo-Degradation of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution
by Ibrahim Hotan Alsohaimi
Polymers 2024, 16(23), 3321; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16233321 - 27 Nov 2024
Viewed by 717
Abstract
Water pollution poses significant environmental challenges, particularly from dyes used in various industrial processes. Effective removal methods are essential to mitigate their impact on aquatic environments. Activated carbon (AC) is widely used for its adsorption properties, and further modifications can enhance its efficiency. [...] Read more.
Water pollution poses significant environmental challenges, particularly from dyes used in various industrial processes. Effective removal methods are essential to mitigate their impact on aquatic environments. Activated carbon (AC) is widely used for its adsorption properties, and further modifications can enhance its efficiency. In this study, we developed polystyrene sulfonate-modified activated carbon (AC@PSS) using a facile and efficient method to improve the photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aquatic environments. The modification enhanced the activated carbon’s surface features and adsorption, improving its photocatalytic activity. The photocatalysts were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, and TGA. Based on Tauc’s equation, the band gap value of AC@PSS was 4.0 eV. The photocatalytic efficacy of the AC@PSS catalyst was assessed by studying the degradation of MB dye under UV-rich solar irradiation. The influence of various variables on the photo-degradation of MB dye such as pH (2–12), reaction time (0–160 min), catalyst dosage (20–80 mg), and dye concentration (10–300 mg/L) was investigated. The AC@PSS catalyst demonstrated impressive degradation efficacy for MB dye of 98% in 160 min at pH 11, a temperature of 25 °C, a catalyst dose of 60 mg, and initial MB content of 10 mg/L. The superior performance of the AC@PSS catalyst could be due to the effective separation of photogenerated electron holes. Accordingly, the photo-degradation of MB is affected by the photo-produced radical •OH. Finally, we conclude that synthesizing AC@PSS is highly effective for the degradation of MB dye. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymer Composite Adsorbents: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 5111 KiB  
Article
Chitosan-Polyaniline (Bio)Polymer Hybrids by Two Pathways: A Tale of Two Biocomposites
by Yuriy A. Anisimov, Heng Yang, Johnny Kwon, Duncan E. Cree and Lee D. Wilson
Polymers 2024, 16(18), 2663; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16182663 - 22 Sep 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1466
Abstract
Previous research highlights the potential of polyaniline-based biocomposites as unique adsorbents for humidity sensors. This study examines several preparative routes for creating polyaniline (PANI) and chitosan (CHT) composites: Type 1—in situ polymerization of aniline with CHT; Type 2—molecular association in acidic aqueous media; [...] Read more.
Previous research highlights the potential of polyaniline-based biocomposites as unique adsorbents for humidity sensors. This study examines several preparative routes for creating polyaniline (PANI) and chitosan (CHT) composites: Type 1—in situ polymerization of aniline with CHT; Type 2—molecular association in acidic aqueous media; and a control, Type 3—physical mixing of PANI and CHT powders (without solvent). The study aims to differentiate the bonding nature (covalent vs. noncovalent) within these composites, which posits that noncovalent composites should exhibit similar physicochemical properties regardless of the preparative route. The results indicate that Type 1 composites display features consistent with covalent and hydrogen bonding, which result in reduced water swelling versus Type 2 and 3 composites. These findings align with spectral and thermogravimetric data, suggesting more compact structure for Type 1 materials. Dye adsorption studies corroborate the unique properties for Type 1 composites, and 1H NMR results confirm the role of covalent bonding for the in situ polymerized samples. The structural stability adopts the following trend: Type 1 (covalent and noncovalent) > Type 2 (possible trace covalent and mainly noncovalent) > Type 3 (noncovalent). Types 2 and 3 are anticipated to differ based on solvent-driven complex formation. This study provides greater understanding of structure-function relationships in PANI-biopolymer composites and highlights the role of CHT as a template that involves variable (non)covalent contributions with PANI, according to the mode of preparation. The formation of composites with tailored bonding modalities will contribute to the design of improved adsorbent materials for environmental remediation to versatile humidity sensor systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Polymer Composite Adsorbents: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop