polymers-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

High-Performance Polymer Resins: Current Frontiers and Future Trends

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2026) | Viewed by 1642

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, MS State, MS 39762, USA
Interests: semi-fluorinated aromatic ether polymers; polyarylenes and their inorganic hybrid networks and carbon structures/composites; renewable, bioabsorbable polymers and upcycling of polymeric waste (e.g., tire rubber and fluoropolymers)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer resins are versatile and durable materials that are extensively used across various industries, including construction, electronics, automotive, and aerospace, as well as in everyday products such as adhesives, coatings, and composites. Including both thermoset and thermoplastic types, polymer resins typically refer to precursor polymers with latent reactivity and/or physical interaction with other components in an interphase-rich or composite environment. Their properties are dependent upon processing and can be precisely tailored through advanced synthetic strategies or by incorporating additives to enhance characteristics such as flexibility, mechanical strength, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. The ability of polymer resins to be molded into complex shapes while maintaining high-performance properties makes them indispensable in modern manufacturing and engineering applications.

Due to the increasing interest in atmospheric hypersonic flights (>Mach 5), which can generate surface temperatures beyond 2000 °C, there is a growing interest in researching carbon–carbon composites where the matrix resin is pyrolyzed to carbons at temperatures above 1000 °C, followed by graphitization at temperatures above 2000 °C.  This Special Issue explores the latest advancements in the synthesis, structural design, processing, and structure–property relationships of carbon precursor resins, with a particular focus on their applications for hypersonic flights. Contributions in this Special Issue highlight innovative resin formulations, processing techniques, and emerging applications that advance the frontiers of polymer science and engineering.

Dr. Dennis W. Smith
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-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 resins
  • high-performance applications
  • additives
  • resin manufacturing

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

16 pages, 3712 KB  
Article
Effects of Propylene Carbonate on the Properties of Epoxy Resin/Carbon Fiber Multilayer Material Used for Underwater Artifact Extraction
by Hao Wang, Qijun Huang and Xiangna Han
Polymers 2025, 17(21), 2891; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212891 - 29 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1184
Abstract
The use of epoxy resin/carbon fiber multilayer materials can effectively prevent damage to artifacts during underwater archaeological artifact extraction. However, the high viscosity of epoxy resin limits the coating ability and curing quality. To solve this problem, propylene carbonate (PC) was used as [...] Read more.
The use of epoxy resin/carbon fiber multilayer materials can effectively prevent damage to artifacts during underwater archaeological artifact extraction. However, the high viscosity of epoxy resin limits the coating ability and curing quality. To solve this problem, propylene carbonate (PC) was used as a diluent to reduce the viscosity and improve the properties. This study investigated the gel time, curing time, curing degree, and mechanical strength of the cured products by varying PC concentrations. It was found that the PC significantly enhanced the flowability of epoxy resin blends, extending the gel time from 22 min to 38 min, with minimal impact on the curing time. The glass transition temperature (Tg) ranged from 25.80 °C to 12.28 °C. Compared to E44/PC0, PC reduced the CTE values in the weft direction. The multilayer materials exhibited good temperature stability. The cured product had good mechanical properties and toughness, and could wrap irregular artifacts. The E44/PC10 formulation was used to prepare the epoxy resin/carbon fiber multilayer material. Waterlogged wooden artifacts were successfully extracted from 13 m deep calm water, using the multilayer material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Performance Polymer Resins: Current Frontiers and Future Trends)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop