polymers-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Development and Innovation of Stimuli-Responsive Polymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 747

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan 32003, Taiwan
Interests: polymer modifications; radical polymerzation; self assembly; organic/inrganic composites ; polymer coatings; biomedical applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Responsive polymer-based materials are defined as polymers that undergo relatively large and physical or chemical changes in response to small external changes in environmental conditions. Over the years, these materials have been intensively studied for various applications such as drug delivery, biosensing for tissue generation, smart coatings, and artificial muscles. There are many different stimuli that can modulate the response of polymer systems. These stimuli can be classified as physical (i.e., temperature, electric or magnetic fields, and mechanical stress) or chemical (i.e., pH, ionic factors, and chemical agents). These reactions of polymer systems are very useful in biomedicine, chemical sensing, and chromatography. This Special Issue aims to present the current development of stimuli-responsive polymers. Advanced original research articles and reviews are highly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Po-Chih Yang
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

  • stimuli-responsive polymer
  • drug delivery
  • biosensing for tissue generation
  • smart coatings
  • artificial muscles
  • physical stimuli
  • temperature
  • electric
  • magnetic fields
  • mechanical stress
  • chemical stimuli
  • pH
  • ionic factors
  • chemical agents

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 3528 KiB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Redox and Non-Redox Epoxy–Clay Coatings for Corrosion Resistance in ACQ Saline Media
by Yun-Xiang Lan, Yun-Hsuan Chen, Hsin-Yu Chang, Karen S. Santiago, Li-Yun Su, Cheng-Yu Tsai, Chun-Hung Huang and Jui-Ming Yeh
Polymers 2025, 17(12), 1684; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17121684 - 17 Jun 2025
Viewed by 364
Abstract
This study prepared epoxy–clay nanocomposites (ECNs) by incorporating organophilic clays modified with either non-redox cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or redox-active aniline pentamer (AP), then compared their anticorrosion performance on metal substrates in saline environments. The test solution contained 2 wt% alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) [...] Read more.
This study prepared epoxy–clay nanocomposites (ECNs) by incorporating organophilic clays modified with either non-redox cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or redox-active aniline pentamer (AP), then compared their anticorrosion performance on metal substrates in saline environments. The test solution contained 2 wt% alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ) wood preservatives. Cold-rolled steel (CRS) panels coated with the ECNs were evaluated via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in saline media both with and without ACQ. For CRS coated with unmodified epoxy, the Nyquist plot showed impedance dropping from 255 kΩ to 121 kΩ upon adding 2 wt% ACQ—indicating that Cu2⁺ ions accelerate iron oxidation. Introducing 1 wt% CTAB–clay into the epoxy increased impedance from 121 kΩ to 271 kΩ, while 1 wt% AP–clay raised it to 702 kΩ. This improvement arises because the organophilic clay platelets create a more tortuous path for Cu2+ and O₂ diffusion, as confirmed by ICP–MS measurements of Cu2+ after EIS and oxygen permeability tests (GPA), thereby slowing iron oxidation. Moreover, ECN coatings containing AP–clay outperformed those with CTAB–clay in corrosion resistance, suggesting that AP not only enhances platelet dispersion but also promotes formation of a dense, passive metal oxide layer at the coating–metal interface, as shown by TEM, GPA, and XRD analyses. Finally, accelerated salt-spray exposure following ASTM B-117 yielded corrosion behavior consistent with the EIS results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Innovation of Stimuli-Responsive Polymers)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop