Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
11.0
5.8
Journals
Polymers
Special Issues
Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics
polymers-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Polymers Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 2 October 2026 | Viewed by 2114

Editors

Dr. Iulia Antohe

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics (INFLPR), Măgurele, Romania
Interests: bio-sensors; bio-nanotechnology; plasmonics and advanced polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gianina Popescu-Pelin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics (INFLPR), Măgurele, Romania
Interests: synthesis of thin films by different pulsed laser techniques; biomaterials; polymeric coatings; drug delivery applications; transparent and flexible electronic materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing demand for intelligent, lightweight, and mechanically compliant electronic systems has positioned advanced polymer materials at the forefront of research in sensors and flexible electronics. This Special Issue on “Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics” aims to highlight recent scientific and technological advances in polymer-based materials that enable high-performance, flexible, and stretchable sensing and electronic platforms. Owing to their structural versatility, processability, and intrinsic mechanical flexibility, polymers offer unique opportunities to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid materials and to realize next-generation devices that can seamlessly interface with complex surfaces and dynamic environments. Recent advances in conductive polymers, polymer composites, hydrogels, and elastomers have significantly improved device sensitivity, reliability, and durability. These materials enable sensors that can detect pressure, strain, temperature, chemical species, and biological signals, supporting applications such as wearable health monitoring, electronic skin, soft robotics, and smart textiles.

The editors of this Special Issue welcome contributions from academia and industry in the form of original research articles, communications, and comprehensive reviews that address fundamental material design, fabrication strategies, device architectures, and emerging applications. We anticipate that this collection will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and provide valuable insights into the future development of advanced polymer materials for sensors and flexible electronics.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contribution

Dr. Iulia Antohe
Dr. Gianina Popescu-Pelin
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 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-anonymized 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

  • advanced polymers
  • flexible electronics
  • polymer sensors
  • wearable technology
  • conductive polymers
  • stretchable devices
  • smart materials

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 (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 7406 KB  
Article
Vacuum-Compatible Electrode-Free Poling of PVDF Films Using Glow-Discharge Plasma
by Bogdan A. Basov, Evgeniya L. Buryanskaya, Kamila T. Makarova, Artur R. Zinnatullin, Konstantin M. Moiseev, Alexey S. Osipkov, Alexander A. Maltsev, Bogdan A. Parshin, Dmitriy S. Ryzhenko and Mstislav O. Makeev
Polymers 2026, 18(15), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18151926 - 5 Aug 2026
Viewed by 254
Abstract
Glow-discharge plasma (GDP) poling is revisited as an electrode-free method for activating piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films. Although this method was proposed several decades ago, its effect on the properties of PVDF films has remained poorly understood. In this work, we demonstrate [...] Read more.
Glow-discharge plasma (GDP) poling is revisited as an electrode-free method for activating piezoelectricity in poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films. Although this method was proposed several decades ago, its effect on the properties of PVDF films has remained poorly understood. In this work, we demonstrate that GDP enables efficient poling of oriented PVDF films without pre-deposited electrodes and investigate the relationship between plasma treatment time, structural evolution, and piezoelectric response. Commercially available 25 μm-thick oriented PVDF films (PolyK) were treated in a DC glow discharge for 15 s to 15 min and characterized using FTIR, DSC, piezoresponse force microscopy, UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometry, quasi-static d33 measurements and water contact-angle measurements. GDP poling produced a side-averaged piezoelectric coefficient d33 of up to ~25 pC/N within 1–5 min, with local maxima at approximately 1, 2.5, and 5 min. This behavior was accompanied by pronounced changes in the domain structure, including an increase in the ferroelectric domain size from 86 to 552 nm, while the crystallinity and electroactive phase fraction changed only moderately. Plasma treatment also increased the wettability of the plasma-facing surface, reducing the water contact angle from about 85° to 42° within 3 min. At longer treatment times (>5 min), however, the piezoelectric response decreased and the optical transparency deteriorated because of increased haze and turbidity, most likely associated with plasma-induced chemical modification of the surface layers. These results indicate that GDP poling has an effective processing window of 1–5 min. The proposed approach provides a vacuum-compatible and electrode-free route for preparing PVDF films with increased surface wettability for flexible piezoelectric sensors, wearable electronics, and integrated polymer-based devices, because it is compatible with electrode deposition on an already activated polymer surface within a single vacuum cycle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

21 pages, 4028 KB  
Article
UV-Synthesized Polyacrylamide-Based Polymer Sensor for Measuring Soil–Water Characteristic Curves in Unsaturated Soils
by Anar Arinova, Alfrendo Satyanaga, Gulnur Kalimuldina, Rezat Abishev, Eriko Dewangga, Saltanat Orazayeva and Jong Kim
Polymers 2026, 18(14), 1692; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18141692 - 9 Jul 2026
Viewed by 559
Abstract
This study presents the development and evaluation of a hydrogel-based superabsorbent polymer sensor (HSPS) for measuring soil suction and establishing the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) of unsaturated soils. Polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels were synthesized via UV-induced free radical polymerization using acrylamide with varying crosslinking [...] Read more.
This study presents the development and evaluation of a hydrogel-based superabsorbent polymer sensor (HSPS) for measuring soil suction and establishing the soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) of unsaturated soils. Polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels were synthesized via UV-induced free radical polymerization using acrylamide with varying crosslinking degrees. The polymers were characterized through FT-IR and TGA analyses, confirming successful synthesis and high thermal stability. Swelling, water retention, and kinetic behavior were systematically investigated. Results indicated that lower crosslinking density significantly enhanced swelling capacity, reaching up to 3000% in distilled water, while saline environments reduced absorption due to ionic screening effects. Swelling kinetics followed anomalous (non-Fickian) diffusion behavior and were well described by the pseudo-second-order Schott model. The synthesized polymers were integrated into a modified high-sensitivity pressure sensor operating on the osmotic principle to measure matric suction. The system was validated using natural soil. Among the tested formulations, the HSPS-3 demonstrated the most reliable suction measurements, reaching values up to approximately 1 MPa without significant temperature sensitivity. The resulting SWCC exhibited bimodal characteristics consistent with the soil’s dual pore structure. The proposed method provides a cost-effective, simple, and efficient alternative for suction measurement, expanding the practical range of SWCC determination in unsaturated soil mechanics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 4667 KB  
Article
Self-Assembly of Curved Photonic Heterostructures by the Hanging Drop Method
by Ion Sandu, Claudiu Teodor Fleaca, Florian Dumitrache, Iuliana Urzica, Iulia Antohe and Marius Dumitru
Polymers 2026, 18(8), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080924 - 9 Apr 2026
Viewed by 789
Abstract
By combining hanging-drop self-assembly with melt infiltration and selective inversion, we fabricate millimetric and free-standing curved photonic heterostructures that integrate infiltrated-opal, inverse-opal, embossed, and white-scattering 2.5D metasurface domains within a single continuous body. These architectures enable configurations inaccessible to planar fabrication, including naturally [...] Read more.
By combining hanging-drop self-assembly with melt infiltration and selective inversion, we fabricate millimetric and free-standing curved photonic heterostructures that integrate infiltrated-opal, inverse-opal, embossed, and white-scattering 2.5D metasurface domains within a single continuous body. These architectures enable configurations inaccessible to planar fabrication, including naturally formed concavities within convex inverse-opal films and alternating ordered/single-layer regions that preserve local coherence while introducing disorder at larger scales. Across these heterogeneous curved landscapes, we observe optical phenomena absent in flat photonic structures—spectrally selected lateral collimation, geometry-shifted ghost images, and transmission-derived valleys shaped by curvature-mediated Bragg extraction. Their origin lies in the geometric constraints inherent to curved assemblies, where spatially varying normals, non-parallel lattice orientations, and topologically required defects couple order and disorder into a distributed-coherence regime. This coupling expands the accessible photonic state space, establishing curvature as an active functional degree of freedom rather than a geometric constraint, positioning the self-assembled photonic heterostructures as a scalable route toward multifunctional 3D metasurfaces and new regimes of light–matter interaction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer Materials for Sensors and Flexible Electronics)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop