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Polymers
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Functional Polymers and Their Composites for Sustainable Development
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Functional Polymers and Their Composites for Sustainable Development

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: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 1609

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Qina Sun

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan Univerisity, Qinhuangdao, China
Interests: phosphate removal; adsorbent; adsorption, activation; sulfate root; advanced oxidation; polymer composite
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Liazhou Song

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan Univerisity, Qinhuangdao, China
Interests: polymer composite; membrane separation; sustainable energy generation; carbon emission reduction; hydrogen generation; environmental protection; source reutilization; friction and lubrication
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lichun Xiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan Univerisity, Qinhuangdao, China
Interests: sewage; pyrolysis; pulp and paper sludge; flue gas desulfurization; condensation; polymer composite
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the face of growing global challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation, the role of materials science, particularly polymer science, is becoming increasingly pivotal in supporting sustainable development. Functional polymers and their composites, with their tunable properties and versatile applications, offer promising solutions to these pressing issues. This Special Issue focuses on design, performance, mechanisms, and applications of functional polymers and their composites in the context of sustainability.

  • Design and Synthesis: Novel approaches to the design and synthesis of functional polymers and their composites, including biodegradable and bio-based polymers, green synthesis methods, and life cycle assessment.
  • Performance and Mechanisms: Studies on the environmental pollution control performance of functional polymers and their composites, as well as the underlying mechanisms that govern their behavior in various environments.
  • Applications in Environmental Control: Research on the use of functional polymers and their composites for environmental remediation, such as water purification, air filtration, soil stabilization, and waste management.
  • Carbon Emission Reduction: Contributions focused on how functional polymers and their composites can contribute to reducing carbon emissions, including through the development of lightweight materials, energy-efficient manufacturing processes, and carbon capture technologies.
  • Sustainable Energy Generation: Exploration of polymer materials in renewable energy applications, such as photovoltaics, fuel cells, energy storage systems, resource reuse, friction reduction, and lubrication.

We are pleased to invite you to submit manuscripts in research areas including, but not limited to, those mentioned above. Both original research articles and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Qina Sun
Prof. Dr. Liazhou Song
Dr. Lichun Xiao
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

  • function polymers
  • polymer composite
  • sustainability
  • green synthesis
  • membrane separation
  • sustainable energy generation
  • carbon emission reduction
  • hydrogen generation
  • environmental remediation
  • resource reuse
  • friction and lubrication
  • chemical coagulants

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2029 KiB  
Article
Biodegradable Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH)-Based Films with Anthocyanin-Rich Extracts of Corozo (Bactris guineensis H.E. Moore) for Intelligent Packaging Design
by Fabián Rico-Rodríguez, Alexis López-Padilla and Rodrigo Ortega-Toro
Polymers 2025, 17(7), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070933 - 29 Mar 2025
Viewed by 394
Abstract
Corozo (Bactris guineensis H.E. Moore) is a fruit from the Colombian Caribbean region valued for its thermostable anthocyanins, which are responsible for its characteristic reddish colour. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical, structural, and functional properties for an intelligent and biodegradable [...] Read more.
Corozo (Bactris guineensis H.E. Moore) is a fruit from the Colombian Caribbean region valued for its thermostable anthocyanins, which are responsible for its characteristic reddish colour. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical, structural, and functional properties for an intelligent and biodegradable film design based on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) matrix incorporating a Corozo extract rich in anthocyanins, with potential applications in food packaging. Anthocyanins were extracted from Corozo fruit and evaluated throughout a central composite design (CCD) for the effects of three variables—extraction time (t), temperature (T), and solvent concentration (CS). A quadratic model (R2 = 0.9586) demonstrated that the exocarp (peel) was the most effective source of anthocyanins. The best conditions were a 1:16.66 solid-to-solvent ratio at 50 °C for 75 min, yielding 38.65 mg EC3G/L. PVOH films were formulated using Corozo anthocyanin extract (CAE), which was characterised for the total anthocyanin content. Characterisation of the films revealed that the incorporation of Corozo-derived phenolic compounds did not cause significant (p < 0.05) changes in structural or water interaction properties compared to those of the control sample. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Their Composites for Sustainable Development)
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22 pages, 6407 KiB  
Article
(Ligno)Cellulose Nanofibrils and Tannic Acid as Green Fillers for the Production of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Biocomposite Films
by Urša Osolnik, Viljem Vek, Miha Humar, Primož Oven and Ida Poljanšek
Polymers 2025, 17(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17010016 - 25 Dec 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 981
Abstract
This study compared the use of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) in different concentrations to reinforce the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. Both nanofillers significantly improved the elastic modulus and tensile strength of PVA biocomposite films. The optimum concentration of CNF and [...] Read more.
This study compared the use of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) in different concentrations to reinforce the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. Both nanofillers significantly improved the elastic modulus and tensile strength of PVA biocomposite films. The optimum concentration of CNF and LCNF was 6% relative to PVA, which improved the tensile strength of the final PVA biocomposite with CNF and LCNF by 53% and 39%, respectively, compared to the neat PVA film. The addition of LCNF resulted in more elastic films than the addition of CNF to the PVA matrix. The elongation at break of the PVA biocomposite with 2% of LCNF was more than 100% higher than that of the neat PVA film. The integration of tannic acid (TA) into the PVA-LCNF system resulted in antioxidant-active and more water-resistant PVA biocomposites. The three-component biocomposite films with 2 and 6% LCNF and 10% TA exhibited a more than 20° higher contact angle of the water droplet on the surfaces of the biocomposite films and absorbed more than 50% less water than the neat PVA film. New formulations of biocomposite films have been developed with the addition of LCNF and TA in a polymeric PVA matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Polymers and Their Composites for Sustainable Development)
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