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Polymers
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Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition
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Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1700

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Costas Charitidis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
RNANO Lab—Research Lab of Advanced, Composite, Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografos, GR-15773 Athens, Greece
Interests: polymers nanocomposites; carbon based materials; advanced composite materials; nanocomposites; nanoindentation; nanomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has evolved significantly over time, reshaping material paradigms. The global prominence of AM highlights the significance of this Special Issue, uniting cross-disciplinary fields to navigate current needs and empower innovation. This Issue features state-of-the-art reviews and pioneering research on innovative AM materials, including composites, polymers, and conductive, magnetic, and smart materials, as well as materials for biomedical applications. Contributions concerning new AM technologies and process optimization, material design for AM, and characterization of AM parts are welcome. In this Special Issue, materials engineered for next-generation AM applications are explored, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Novel materials tailored for AM;
  • Advancements in AM processes;
  • New applications of AM;
  • Specialized characterization techniques;
  • Establishment of quality control protocols.

Prof. Dr. Costas Charitidis
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

  • additive manufacturing
  • 3D printing
  • smart materials
  • biomaterials
  • nanomaterials
  • composites

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 4684 KB  
Article
An Experimental Study and FEM-Based Analysis for Road Safety Barriers: Additively Manufactured PLA–Geopolymer Hybrid Composites
by Muhammed Fatih Yentimur, Oğuzhan Akarsu, Cem Alparslan, Tuba Kütük-Sert, Şenol Bayraktar, Abdulkadir Cüneyt Aydin and Ahmet Tortum
Polymers 2026, 18(8), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080905 - 8 Apr 2026
Viewed by 463
Abstract
This study investigates the impact response and energy absorption performance of additively manufactured PLA–geopolymer hybrid composites for potential application in road safety barriers. Hybrid Charpy specimens were fabricated with three different infill densities (20%, 60%, and 100%), combining a 3D-printed PLA outer shell [...] Read more.
This study investigates the impact response and energy absorption performance of additively manufactured PLA–geopolymer hybrid composites for potential application in road safety barriers. Hybrid Charpy specimens were fabricated with three different infill densities (20%, 60%, and 100%), combining a 3D-printed PLA outer shell with a geopolymer core. Charpy impact tests were conducted in accordance with ISO 179-1 and ASTM D6110, and the absorbed energy, specific energy absorption, and mass efficiency were determined experimentally. A phase-based analytical model was also used to estimate elastic energy contributions, while fracture surfaces were examined to identify infill-dependent damage mechanisms. To extend the material-level findings to an engineering-scale application, the observed trends were transferred to a New Jersey-type road safety barrier model and evaluated using ANSYS Explicit Dynamics. The results showed that infill density strongly affects fracture behavior and energy dissipation performance, with 60% infill providing the most balanced response in terms of energy absorption and mass/material efficiency. The originality of the present study lies in going beyond a material-scale investigation of the impact behavior of additively manufactured PLA–geopolymer hybrid structures by integrally correlating the experimental Charpy results with a theoretical energy-based framework, fracture-surface observations, and explicit dynamic finite element analysis of a New Jersey-type road safety barrier model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 4279 KB  
Article
The Impact of Coloring Additives on Thermal, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of FDM-Printed Components
by Nicoleta Bacescu, Doina Frunzaverde, Vasile Cojocaru, Gerlinde Iuliana Rusu, Raul-Rusalin Turiac, Costel-Relu Ciubotariu and Gabriela Marginean
Polymers 2026, 18(7), 855; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18070855 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 311
Abstract
This study examines how manufacturer-specific additive formulations used to obtain nominally identical black PLA filaments influence the thermal, mechanical, and tribological performance of FDM-printed parts. Five commercial filaments were analyzed under identical processing conditions using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile [...] Read more.
This study examines how manufacturer-specific additive formulations used to obtain nominally identical black PLA filaments influence the thermal, mechanical, and tribological performance of FDM-printed parts. Five commercial filaments were analyzed under identical processing conditions using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile testing, pin-on-disc measurements, and stereomicroscopy. The filaments exhibited substantial compositional variability, with total additive contents ranging from 2.08 wt.% to 27.82 wt.%. One filament (M5) contained a significant fraction of inorganic fillers, confirmed by SEM/EDX as Ca-, Na- and Mg-based oxides and silicates, identifying it as a PLA-based composite despite being marketed as standard PLA. These differences strongly affected thermal behavior (Tg, Tcc, Tm) and translated directly into the performance of the printed parts. Ultimate tensile strength varied by 88.91% across all filaments (19.38–36.61 MPa), but only by 13% among the four conventional PLA filaments (M1–M4). Tribological performance differed markedly: mean coefficients of friction ranged from 0.246 (M3) to 0.368 (M2), a spread of approximately 50%, with wear-track morphologies reflecting the frictional response. Overall, the results show that PLA filaments cannot be treated as interchangeable materials. Greater transparency and standardized reporting of filament composition are needed to ensure reproducibility and support informed material selection in FDM applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 3172 KB  
Article
Influence of Strain-Offset-Based Yield Definitions on the Accuracy of Finite Element Analysis of 3D-Printed PLA with Different Raster Orientations
by Moiz Majeed, Rafael Silva, Djbril Nd. Faye and Paulo Pedrosa
Polymers 2026, 18(2), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18020158 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 534
Abstract
Computational mechanics is one of the techniques used to predict and optimize material behavior and structural performance. However, modeling a complex material model and achieving an accurate response in finite element analysis (FEA) remains a challenge. This study investigates the mechanical material properties [...] Read more.
Computational mechanics is one of the techniques used to predict and optimize material behavior and structural performance. However, modeling a complex material model and achieving an accurate response in finite element analysis (FEA) remains a challenge. This study investigates the mechanical material properties of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) by integrating tensile testing and FEA to optimize material behavior. The tensile testing was conducted on three different raster orientations (0°, 45°, and 90°), and the resultant stress–strain data were used to calibrate FEA models. For FEA nonlinear material modeling, isotropic elasticity was combined with a multilinear plasticity model, where the yield stress values were determined by using the strain offset method. Six different strain offsets (SOs), i.e., 0%, 0.007%, 0.01%, 0.02%, 0.05%, and 0.2%, were analyzed to evaluate their impact on the accuracy of the FEA results against the experimental results. The results highlight a significant influence of strain offset selection on the plastic region estimation and overall accuracy. The commonly used 0.2% strain offset method (SOM) significantly overestimated the plastic region, while 0% strain offset provided the most accurate simulation response. These results emphasize the importance of selecting the correct yield stress value for 3D-printed nonlinear material modeling in FEA simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Materials in 3D Printing, 2nd Edition)
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