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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3934

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Prof. Dr. Vasileios Koutsos

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School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
Interests: materials science and engineering; materials for energy; materials for biomedical applications; recycling and sustainability; surfaces and interfaces; surface metrology and characterisation; adhesion and tribology; micro/nanomechanics; polymers, complex fluids, and soft condensed matter; self-assembly of polymers and nanoparticles on surfaces; thin films and coatings; elastomers and gels; mechanics of materials; composites and nanocomposites; wettability of surfaces, wetting, dewetting; atomic force microscopy (AFM); additive manufacturing; electrospinning
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Dear Colleagues,

Polymers at surfaces and interfaces play a key role in many applications, such as composite materials, fibre sizing, nanocomposites, colloidal stabilisation, blend compatibilizers, friction, adhesion, surface modification, superhydrophobic surfaces, biofouling, bioelectronics, chemical and biochemical sensors, and the biocompatibility of implants and artificial organs. Furthermore, our fundamental understanding of the behaviour of polymers in confined spaces is still limited. The prediction and determination of polymer properties at surfaces and interfaces is not a trivial task, and unexpected deviations from bulk behaviour are not uncommon. This Special Issue will collect state-of-the-art articles and reviews related to applications and fundamentals of polymers at surfaces and interfaces. Experimental, theoretical, and modelling studies are welcome, including combined studies and topical perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Vasileios Koutsos
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 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-anonymized 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

polymers
surfaces
interfaces
friction
adhesion
compatibilizers
blends
bioelectronics
biofouling
confinement

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3553 KB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Criteria Selection of Adhesives for Wearable Textiles

by Bhalaji Yadav Kantepalle, Udena Epitawala Arachchige, Daeha Joung and Christina Tang

Polymers 2026, 18(12), 1504; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18121504 - 16 Jun 2026

Viewed by 229

Abstract

Peeling behavior of soft materials is important in a wide range of applications, e.g., electronics, healthcare, etc. When applied on soft substrates, soft adhesives demonstrate unique mechanical behaviors compared to adhesives applied on rigid substrates. Adhesive properties can be conveniently measured by “peel testing”. The focus of this work is characterization of commercial glues on fabric substrates using commonly used peel tests. We investigate energy dissipation on textile substrates. For practical applications, we aim to develop a systematic approach for selecting adhesives for soft, flexible substrates. Here, we developed a multi-criteria framework for evaluating adhesives using data from peel tests. The criteria used here consider the shape and stability of the T-peel trace. The results of the multi-criteria evaluation were compared to traditionally used peel strength and fracture energy. Although E6000 produced the highest peel force (

1.82 \pm 0.27 N m m^{- 1}

) and the largest apparent fracture energy,

G_{c}

(

8673 \pm 1545 J m^{- 2}

), it showed large force oscillation (

S S A = 4.05 \pm 0.83 N

). Fabri-Fuse was selected based on its low oscillation (

S S A = 0.69 \pm 0.29 N

), lowest

C o V_{F_{c i}}

(4.0%), high peel stability index (PSI), and high displacement at break. Functional evaluation showed that Fabri-Fuse increased strain-to-electrical-failure to

34.95 \pm 2.43 %,

higher than direct printing on fabric or printing on E6000 (highest peel strength). These results suggest that metrics that consider the shape of the peel trace and inter-sample repeatability provide a useful alternative for selecting adhesives other than highest peel strength. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces)

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19 pages, 2707 KB

Open AccessArticle

Structure–Electrical Property Relationships of Spike-Structured Conductive Silicone Interfaces for Wearable Trigeminal Microcurrent Stimulation in Electroceutical Devices

by Tae-Hun Kim, Ji-Hong Bae, Jiwon Cheon, Eun-Ji Kim, Eunsoo Kim and Young-Suk Jung

Polymers 2026, 18(12), 1473; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18121473 - 12 Jun 2026

Viewed by 384

Abstract

Conductive silicone interfaces are promising polymeric materials for wearable bioelectronic systems because they combine electrical continuity with elastomeric compliance, environmental durability, and moldability. In low-voltage wearable microcurrent interfaces, however, functional performance is governed not only by intrinsic material conductivity, but also by conductive network continuity, molded geometry, interfacial contact, and transient electrical response. In this study, we developed a spike-structured conductive silicone interface using a commercially available electrically conductive two-component silicone rubber and investigated its structure–electrical property relationships as a volume-resistive polymer interface. The interface consisted of a conductive silicone body with protrusions 7 mm in height and 3.6 mm in diameter, supported by a 1 mm base layer and electrically integrated through an Ag-paste-connected upper conduction region. Using a representative electrode-level resistance of 47.08 Ω, the geometry-derived apparent interfacial resistive response was estimated as 18.0 Ω·cm for the three-spike configuration and 24.0 Ω·cm for the four-spike configuration. The corresponding effective conductive areas were 0.305 cm² and 0.407 cm², respectively, giving analytical current-density amplification factors of 9.82 and 7.37 relative to a planar 3 cm² reference interface. Positional resistance mapping yielded an overall mean resistance of 47.80 ± 4.57 Ω, indicating acceptable electrical reproducibility across the structured conductive silicone interface. In addition, oscilloscope-based transient response analysis under a 5 V, 1 kHz square-wave input showed that the conductive silicone interface maintained the overall pulse waveform while showing a modest reduction in overshoot from 3.4 ± 0.1% to 2.7 ± 0.1%, with FFT traces used as qualitative waveform-monitoring displays. Formulation-dependent comparison further showed that increasing the silicone-rich fraction increased the measured resistance from 105 Ω to 145 Ω, whereas increasing conductive carbon loading reduced resistance but aggravated surface transfer. These results show that the conductive silicone interface functions not simply as a soft conductor, but as a volume-resistive, geometry-defined current-transfer medium whose behavior is governed by the coupled effects of conductive network formation, spike architecture, electrode-level resistance, and transient pulse response. This study provides a practical materials/interface design framework for spike-structured conductive silicone electrodes in wearable bioelectronic and electroceutical devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces)

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15 pages, 1397 KB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Temperature, pH, Electrolytes, Approach Speed, and Contact Area on the Coalescence Time of Bubbles in Aqueous Solutions with Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol

by Jorge H. Saavedra, Gonzalo R. Quezada, Paola D. Bustos, Joaquim Contreras, Ignacio Salazar, Pedro G. Toledo and Leopoldo Gutiérrez

Polymers 2025, 17(14), 1974; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17141974 - 18 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1126

Abstract

The prevention of bubble coalescence is essential in various industrial processes, such as mineral flotation, where the stability of air–liquid interfaces significantly affects performance. The combined influence of multiple physicochemical parameters on bubble coalescence remains insufficiently understood, particularly under conditions relevant to flotation. This study explores the key factors that influence the inhibition of bubble coalescence in aqueous solutions containing methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), providing a systematic comparative analysis to assess the effect of each variable on coalescence inhibition. An experimental method was employed in which two air bubbles were formed from identical capillaries and brought into contact either head-to-head or side-by-side, then held until coalescence occurred. This setup allows for reliable measurements of coalescence time with minimal variability regarding the conditions under which the bubbles interact. The study examined the effects of several factors: temperature, pH, salt concentration and type, bubble approach speed, contact area, and contact configuration. The results reveal that coalescence is delayed at lower temperatures, alkaline pH conditions, high salt concentrations, and larger interfacial contact areas between bubbles. Within the range studied, the influence of approach speed was found to be insignificant. These findings provide valuable insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing bubble coalescence and offer practical guidance for optimizing industrial processes that rely on the controlled stabilization of air–liquid interfaces. By understanding and manipulating the factors that inhibit coalescence, it is possible to design more efficient and sustainable mineral flotation systems, thereby reducing environmental impact and conserving water resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces)

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14 pages, 5472 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Properties of β-Casein Fibril Adsorption Layers at the Air–Water Interface

by Anastasiya R. Rafikova, Olga Y. Milyaeva, Giuseppe Loglio, Reinhard Miller, Zhili Wan and Boris A. Noskov

Polymers 2025, 17(8), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17081075 - 16 Apr 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1423

Abstract

Although the formation of the layers of fibrillar aggregates at liquid–liquid and liquid–gas interfaces can significantly increase the stability of disperse systems, like foams and emulsions, any information on their structure and properties is rather limited. In the present work, surface properties of the adsorption layers of fibrils of intrinsically disordered β-casein are investigated. For unpurified dispersions of the fibrils of this protein, the dynamic surface elasticity proved to be close to the values for the native protein solutions. This behavior is typical for dispersions of fibrils of globular proteins. However, previously studied fibrils of another intrinsically disordered protein, κ-casein, do not demonstrate this similarity. The contribution of β-casein fibrils to the dynamic surface properties becomes noticeable only after the purification of the dispersions from impurities of high surface activity. The dynamic surface elasticity increases up to 48 mN/m after two purification cycles, i.e., to values 4 times higher than the steady-state values of native protein adsorption layers at the same protein bulk concentrations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces)

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