Functional Cellulose-Based Materials: Synthesis and Application

Dear Colleagues,

Cellulose is one of the oldest raw materials that has been used by human for hundreds of years. Additionally, it is also the most common organic compound on Earth. Due to its unique structure and excellent properties, such as renewability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, chemical stability, and derivatizabilty, cellulose has diverse applications, e.g., papers, textiles, building materials, composites, among others. However, there are still a number of challenges that hinder the use of this readily available and renewable natural polymer. One drawback of cellulose is its limited processability, which is mainly caused by the large proportion of intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonding systems. Until now, the traditional processes for cellulose conversion, such as the viscose process, still dominate the cellulose product market.

Science and technology are starting to turn towards renewable resources and eco-friendly processes. Materials based on natural polymers, including cellulose, have thus attracted great attention. In particular, the development of new and “green” solvents for cellulose provides efficient and eco-friendly platforms for cellulose shaping and chemical modification. More recently, new frontiers such as nanocelluloses and advancements in nanotechnologies also offer great opportunities in the field of functional materials over a broad range of applications.

Dr. Yian Chen
Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Sarasini
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 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.