Thermoplastic Foams: Processing, Manufacturing, and Characterization, 2nd Edition
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 13
Special Issue Editor
Interests: product design; characteristics of polymer materials; polyurethane foam; reinforced composites; flame-retardant polymer composites; biocomposites and polymer bioadditives; self-healing composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue, entitled “Thermoplastic Foams: Processing, Manufacturing, and Characterization, 2nd Edition”, brings together research and review articles addressing the synthesis, modification, characterization, and processing of porous polymer composites for a wide spectrum of applications.
Polymer foams, owing to their unique properties, such as low density, reduced thermal conductivity, high energy absorption, and excellent strength-to-weight ratio, are widely used in both industry and everyday products. Their applications range from transportation, construction, biomedical engineering, and automotive manufacturing to textiles, sports equipment, toys, insulation materials, bedding, and carpet underlays. Structurally, foams consist of a polymer matrix encapsulating gas, resulting in a microcellular structure that may be rigid or flexible, with open or closed cells. This tunable morphology, combined with the choice of polymer type and additives, offers nearly unlimited opportunities for tailoring material performance.
In light of increasing environmental concerns, especially the need to reduce carbon footprints and the dependence on petroleum-based resources, current research also focuses on sustainable alternatives. Biocomposites and foams derived from biomass or recyclates are gaining particular attention, offering pathways toward eco-friendly materials that meet both market demands and environmental standards.
This Special Issue welcomes contributions on, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Thermoplastic, thermoset, and elastomeric foams;
- Biopolymer-based and biodegradable foams;
- High-temperature and high-performance foams;
- Flame-retardant foams;
- Composite and nanocomposite foams;
- Microcellular, submicrocellular, and nanocellular foams;
- Closed-, open-, and interconnected-cell foams;
- Innovative foaming methods and technologies;
- Thermally and electrically conductive foams;
- Foams with enhanced thermal insulation or specific mechanical properties;
- Recycling and reuse of polymer foams.
I warmly invite you to submit your manuscripts to this Special Issue. Original research papers, reviews, and communications are all welcome.
Dr. Anna Strąkowska
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
- polymeric foams
- cellular structure
- manoporous foams
- porous biocomposites
- closed-cell structure
- open-cell structure
- insulating properties
- functional foams
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