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Structure, Properties and Applications of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 5303

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Editors

Dr. Haifei Zhan

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: nanomechanics; nanocomposites; superalloys; nanoscale thermal transport

Dr. Zhicheng Zhang

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: piezoelectric composites; multifunctional materials; advanced sensors; bridge engineering

Dr. Yihan Nie

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Guest Editor

College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Interests: polymer nanocomposites; molecular dynamics simulation; biodegradable polymer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer-based nanocomposites are attracting increasing interests from both scientific and engineering communities, with broad applications in various sectors like advanced electronics, robotics, aerospace, biomedical, and civil engineering. Numerous types of polymer and nanomaterials provide extensively large space for designing or tailoring nanocomposites with required performance in mechanics, electronics, thermal management and others. This special issue aims to bring together the recent advances in theoretical, computational and experimental advances in polymer-based nanocomposites, including innovative synthesis and processing techniques that bring unique properties, novel nanofillers enhancing the performance of polymer matrix, and efficient methods to simulate these complex systems. Novel applications of polymer-based nanocomposites are also welcomed.

Dr. Haifei Zhan
Dr. Zhicheng Zhang
Dr. Yihan Nie
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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Keywords

nanocomposites
nanofillers
physical properties
interfacial strength
multifunctional
reinforcement
molecular dynamics simulation
surface engineering

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 16704 KB

Open AccessArticle

TiO₂, GO, and TiO₂/GO Coatings by APPJ on Waste ABS/PMMA Composite Filaments Filled with Carbon Black, Graphene, and Graphene Foam: Morphology, Wettability, Thermal Stability, and 3D Printability

by Alejandra Xochitl Maldonado Pérez, Alma Delfina Arenas Flores, José de Jesús Pérez Bueno, Maria Luisa Mendoza López, Yolanda Casados Mexicano, José Luis Reyes Araiza, Alejandro Manzano-Ramírez, Salomón Ramiro Vásquez García, Nelly Flores-Ramírez, Carlos Montoya Suárez and Edain Belén Pérez Mendoza

Polymers 2025, 17(24), 3263; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17243263 - 9 Dec 2025

Viewed by 953

Abstract

This work presents a multifactorial strategy for reusing waste thermoplastics and generating multifunctional filaments for additive manufacturing. Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) waste and commercial poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were compounded with carbon black (CB), graphene (G), or graphene foam (GF) at different loadings and extruded into composite filaments. The aim is to couple filler-induced bulk modifications with atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) surface coatings of TiO₂ and graphene oxide (GO) to obtain waste-derived filaments with tunable morphology, wettability, and thermal stability for advanced 3D-printed architectures. The filaments were subsequently coated with TiO₂ and/or GO using an APPJ process, which tailored surface wettability and enabled the formation of photocatalytically relevant interfaces. Digital optical microscopy and SEM revealed that CB, G, and GF were reasonably well dispersed in both polymer matrices but induced distinct surface and cross-sectional morphologies, including a carbon-rich outer crust in ABS and filler-dependent porosity in PMMA. For ABS composites, static contact-angle measurements show that APPJ coatings broaden the apparent wettability window from ~60–80° for uncoated filaments to ~40–50° (TiO₂/GO) up to >90° (GO), corresponding to a ≈150% increase in contact-angle span. For PMMA/CB composites, TiO₂/GO coatings expand the accessible contact-angle range to ~15–125° while maintaining surface energies around 50 mN m⁻¹. TGA/DSC analyses confirm that the composites and coatings remain thermally stable within typical extrusion and APPJ processing ranges, with graphene showing only ≈3% mass loss over the explored temperature range, compared with ≈65% for CB and ≈10% for GF. Fused deposition modeling trials verify the printability and dimensional fidelity of ABS-based composite filaments, whereas PMMA composites were too brittle for reliable FDM printing. Overall, combining waste polymer reuse, tailored carbonaceous fillers, and APPJ TiO₂/GO coatings provides a versatile route to design surface-engineered filaments for applications such as photocatalysis, microfluidics, and soft robotics within a circular polymer manufacturing framework. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure, Properties and Applications of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites)

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19 pages, 3735 KB

Open AccessArticle

Easy Prestressing of FRP for Strengthening RC Beams: Experimental Study with an Analytical Approach

by Gokhan Sakar and Huseyin Kursat Celik

Polymers 2025, 17(12), 1628; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17121628 - 12 Jun 2025

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2122

Abstract

This study investigates strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) beams using fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs). Nine samples were cast and strengthened with varying parameters, including the width, number of laminates, use of anchors, and application of prestressing. A novel device—the easy prestressing machine (EPM)—was developed to apply prestress. The EPM is lightweight and operable manually, enabling up to 10% prestressing. All specimens were tested under three-point bending until failure, and load-displacement curves were recorded. An analytical method based on curvature increment and incorporating material nonlinearities is also proposed to estimate the load-displacement response of RC beams with and without FRP strengthening. Both experimental and analytical results are presented and compared. The analytical model strongly agreed with the experimental results, showing Pearson correlation coefficients exceeding 90% for most specimens. According to the experimental findings, applying FRP, particularly when combined with anchorage and prestressing, increased the load-bearing capacity by up to 45%. Anchorage and prestressing effectively mitigate premature debonding, with prestressing showing a more pronounced impact on enhancing bond performance and load capacity. Based on the results, conclusions regarding the analytical model, structural behavior, and optimal strengthening strategies are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure, Properties and Applications of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites)

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18 pages, 12446 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Behavior of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Polymer Composite Ring-like Structures: Unraveling the Effects of Agglomeration, Porosity, and Elastic Coupling

by Hossein Mottaghi T., Moein A. Ghandehari and Amir R. Masoodi

Polymers 2025, 17(5), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050696 - 5 Mar 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1534

Abstract

This research examines the free vibration characteristics of composite ring-like structures enhanced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), taking into account the effects of CNT agglomeration. The structural framework comprises two concentric composite rings linked by elastic springs, creating a coupled beam ring (CBR) system. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is applied to account for transverse shear deformation, while Hamilton’s principle is employed to formulate the governing equations of motion. The effective mechanical properties of the composite material are assessed with regard to CNT agglomeration, which has a significant impact on the elastic modulus and the overall dynamic behavior of the structure. The numerical analysis explores the influence of porosity distribution, boundary conditions (BCs), and the stiffness of the springs on the natural vibration frequencies (NVFs). The results demonstrate that an increase in CNT agglomeration leads to a reduction in the stiffness of the composite, consequently decreasing the NVFs. Furthermore, asymmetric porosity distributions result in nonlinear fluctuations in NVFs due to irregularities in mass and stiffness, whereas uniform porosity distributions display a nearly linear relationship. This study also emphasizes the importance of boundary conditions and elastic coupling in influencing the vibrational response of CBR systems. These findings offer significant insights for the design and optimization of advanced composite ring structures applicable in aerospace, nanotechnology, and high-performance engineering systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structure, Properties and Applications of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites)

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