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Polymers
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Degradation and Stability of Polymer-Based Systems: 2nd Edition
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Degradation and Stability of Polymer-Based Systems: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Circular and Green Sustainable Polymer Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 4172

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Roberto Scaffaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymeric materials; nanocomposites; green composites; polymer blends; polymer engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Univerisity of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: polymeric materials; nanocomposites; green composites; polymer blends; polymer engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Degradation mechanism management plays a key role in polymeric devices/objects properties and performance control. This challenge, in fact, is very interesting as it allows to modulate the properties during use and its lifetime.

There are many degradation processes that may induce the polymeric chains scission: thermal, mechanical, photo-oxidative, biological, and chemical degradation. Such processes can take place during processing/forming (by heat or mechanical stress action) or during use and end of life.

To optimize degradation mechanisms and kinetics control, it is necessary to carefully investigate the degradative responses of polymeric-based materials when exposed to external stresses (sunlight, bacterial attack, atmospheric agents, ozone, etc.), or when subjected to processing (stresses mechanical and thermal). Furthermore, it is interesting to evaluate how the addition of micro- or nano-fillers and/or stabilizers influence degradation processes.

Therefore, papers are sought that deal with the stabilization and/or degradation of polymeric systems, either providing new insights on the processing–structure–aging property relationships. Latest research dealing with degradative reactions in special application fields and/or proposing novel characterization protocols will also be of great interest.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Scaffaro
Dr. Emmanuel Fortunato Gulino
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.

 

Keywords

  • polymeric materials
  • degradation and stability
  • green composites
  • nanocomposites
  • polymer composites
  • biodegradation
  • photodegradation
  • chemical degradation
  • thermal degradation
  • mechanical degradation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4799 KB  
Article
Durability of Basalt- and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymers: Influence of Internal Stresses, Mass Loss Modeling, and Mechanical/Thermomechanical Properties Under Extreme Cold Climate Exposure
by Anatoly K. Kychkin, Oleg V. Startsev, Mikhail P. Lebedev, Anatoly S. Krotov, Aisen A. Kychkin and Anna A. Gavrilieva
Polymers 2025, 17(18), 2457; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17182457 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 358
Abstract
The durability of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites was evaluated under extreme cold conditions in Yakutsk (−54 to +36 °C. Laminates (18 layers, epoxy CYD-128) were exposed outdoors for three years. Mechanical testing showed tensile [...] Read more.
The durability of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites was evaluated under extreme cold conditions in Yakutsk (−54 to +36 °C. Laminates (18 layers, epoxy CYD-128) were exposed outdoors for three years. Mechanical testing showed tensile strength and modulus reductions of 22–32% for GFRP, compared with only 6–12% for BFRP. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the glass transition temperature decreased by 11–14 °C in GFRP and 4–6 °C in BFRP. Mass loss kinetics were studied on specimens of different sizes (10 × 10, 20 × 20, and 40 × 40 mm) over 405 days. Seasonal sorption ranged between 0.01–0.19%, while long-term degradation followed a Fickian law with diffusion coefficients of degradation products from 1×10−4 to 0.29mm2/day. A diffusion-based model was proposed, where total mass change is represented as the superposition of reversible sorption and irreversible degradation. The model accurately reproduced experimental trends, highlighting the higher resistance of BFRP. Surface morphology analysis revealed matrix erosion and microcracking on exposed surfaces, with average roughness increasing from 1.61–5.61 µm to 5.86–11.73 µm. Thermomechanical analysis confirmed that BFRP maintained more stable coefficients of linear thermal expansion (−60 to 100 °C) than GFRP, reducing thermally induced stresses during seasonal cycles. These findings demonstrate the superior stability of BFRP compared with GFRP under cold-climate exposure. Comparison of experimental results with mathematical modeling demonstrated that the primary cause of polymer matrix degradation is the action of abrupt internal stresses arising during thermal cycling under extreme cold climate conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation and Stability of Polymer-Based Systems: 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 5108 KB  
Article
Biodegradation Efficacy of Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum on Low-Density Polyethylene
by Momina Ahmed, Shazia Iram, Noshabah Tabassum, Mahnoor Sajid, Kingkham Paseutsakoun, László Aleksza and András Székács
Polymers 2025, 17(10), 1303; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17101303 - 10 May 2025
Viewed by 2367
Abstract
This study investigates the biodegradation potential of two fungal strains, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum, on polyethylene plastic bags, addressing the environmental challenges posed by the resistance of the plastic material to degradation. The fungi were cultivated, and their spore suspensions were [...] Read more.
This study investigates the biodegradation potential of two fungal strains, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma harzianum, on polyethylene plastic bags, addressing the environmental challenges posed by the resistance of the plastic material to degradation. The fungi were cultivated, and their spore suspensions were tested for polyethylene degradation in both the soil and liquid salt media. Degradation was assessed using weight loss measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After one month in liquid medium, A. niger induced a 45.62 ± 0.21% weight loss of polyethylene, while T. harzianum achieved a 36.0 ± 0.21% weight reduction. In soil, weight losses of 9.09 ± 0.08% and 10.00 ± 0.18% were observed after two months, respectively. TGA confirmed that the fungus-treated polyethylene samples were less thermally stable than untreated controls, indicating successful biodegradation. FTIR analysis revealed structural changes in the degraded polyethylene, while SEM images demonstrated significant surface alterations, including pitting, roughening, cracks, holes, and fungal colonization. These findings confirm the enzymatic action of fungi in degrading polyethylene into monomeric forms. The study highlights the potential for fungal biodegradation as an environmentally friendly strategy to mitigate plastic pollution. Future studies should characterize the specific enzymes involved and explore genetic engineering to enhance degradation rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation and Stability of Polymer-Based Systems: 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 5170 KB  
Article
Green Sulfation of Arabinogalactan in the Melt of a Sulfamic Acid–Urea Mixture
by Vladimir A. Levdansky, Alexander V. Levdansky, Yuriy N. Malyar, Timur Yu. Ivanenko, Olga Yu. Fetisova, Aleksandr S. Kazachenko and Boris N. Kuznetsov
Polymers 2025, 17(5), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17050642 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 883
Abstract
Sulfation of arabinogalactan (AG) from larch wood (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) in the melt of a sulfamic acid–urea mixture has been first examined. The impact of the AG sulfation temperature on the AG sulfate yield and the sulfur content has been established. [...] Read more.
Sulfation of arabinogalactan (AG) from larch wood (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) in the melt of a sulfamic acid–urea mixture has been first examined. The impact of the AG sulfation temperature on the AG sulfate yield and the sulfur content has been established. The high sulfur content (11.3–11.6%) in sulfated AG has been obtained in the temperature range of 115–120 °C for a sulfation time of 0.5 h. The process effectively prevents molecular degradation under these conditions. The incorporation of sulfate groups into the arabinogalactan structure has been confirmed by the appearance of absorption bands in the FTIR spectrum that are typical of sulfate group vibrations. The 13C NMR spectroscopy study has proven that the AG sulfation in the melt of a sulfamic acid–urea mixture leads to the substitution of some free hydroxyl groups for C6, C4, and C2 carbon atoms of the AG β-D-galactopyranose units. The advantage of the proposed AG sulfation method is that the reaction occurs without solvent, and the reaction time is only 0.5 h. The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of the initial AG and sulfated AG samples have been studied. It has been found that the sulfated AG samples have a lower thermal resistance than the initial AG. The kinetic analysis has revealed a decrease in the activation energy of the thermal degradation of the sulfated samples as compared to the initial AG. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Degradation and Stability of Polymer-Based Systems: 2nd Edition)
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