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Modeling and Characterization of Recycled High-Performance Polymer Materials

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: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 3412

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Transfercenter für Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Franz-Fritsch-Strasse 11, 4600 Wels, Austria
2. School of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Stelzhamerstr. 23, 4600 Wels, Austria
Interests: structure–processing–property relationships of polymer-based systems; polymer matrix composites; simple models for predicting polymer matrix composite properties; mechanical recycling of plastics; natural fiber reinforcement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Stelzhamerstr. 23, 4600 Wels, Austria
Interests: determination of material properties for polymer extrusion; tribology in polymer processing; development and modeling of extrusion processes; polymer rheology; wetting and adhesion in polymer processing; thermoforming; liquid crystal polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Recycling is an important issue used to conserve our limited resources and save on energy. While recycling is a widely researched topic for packaging materials and other similar short-lived applications, for other high-performing materials, this is less of a present topic. High-performance polymers are characterized by their outstanding thermal stability, chemical resistivity, and mechanical properties. In addition, they are suited for a variety of applications in many different areas, including automotive, aerospace, defense, electronics, medical, and sport and safety equipment. Due to their nature, these polymers are often more complex to produce, thus requiring more energy and overall effort, and they are therefore even more interesting to recycle. This Special Issue of Polymers is dedicated to the reprocessing and recycling of high-performance polymer materials, with an emphasis on modeling such processes and characterizing said polymer materials. Computational modeling and simulation have emerged as an indispensable tool to complement and/or guide experiments in every field. The complex and intriguing mechanical/physical properties of polymeric materials, originating from multiple spatial and temporal scales, call for advanced multiscale computational techniques in order to account for the all-important mechanisms in polymers. Using these to understand the complex structure–processing–property relationships in polymer-based composites and blends helps to further develop polymeric materials. Various polymer materials characterization methods are needed to investigate material properties, often by combining them to extract even more valuable information which would otherwise be inaccessible, and with that deliver the basis for modeling approaches. This Special Issue aims to compile original and cutting-edge research works in the field of the modeling and characterization of reprocessed and recycled high-performance polymer materials. 

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burgstaller
Prof. Dr. Gernot Zitzenbacher
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • functional
  • manufacturing
  • characterization
  • modeling

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4345 KiB  
Article
A Technical–Economic Study on Optimizing FDM Parameters to Manufacture Pieces Using Recycled PETG and ASA Materials in the Context of the Circular Economy Transition
by Dragos Gabriel Zisopol, Mihail Minescu and Dragos Valentin Iacob
Polymers 2025, 17(1), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17010122 - 6 Jan 2025
Viewed by 928
Abstract
This paper presents the results of research on the technical–economic optimization of FDM parameters (Lh—layer height and Id—infill density percentage) for the manufacture of tensile and compression samples from recycled materials (r) of PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) and ASA [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of research on the technical–economic optimization of FDM parameters (Lh—layer height and Id—infill density percentage) for the manufacture of tensile and compression samples from recycled materials (r) of PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) and ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate) in the context of the transition to a circular economy. To carry out our technical–economic study, the fundamental principle of value analysis was used, which consists of maximizing the ratio between Vi and Cp, where Vi represents the mechanical characteristic (tensile strength or compressive strength) and Cp represents the production cost. The results of this study showed that, in the case of tensile samples manufactured by recycled PETG (rPETG), the parameter that significantly influences the results of the Vi/Cp ratios is Lh (the height of the layer), while for the samples manufactured additively from recycled ASA (rASA), the parameter that decisively influences the tensile strength is Id (the infill density percentage). In the case of compression samples manufactured by FDM from recycled PETG (rPETG) and recycled ASA (rASA), the parameter that signified influences the results of the Vi/Cp ratios is Id (the infill density percentage). Following the optimization of the FDM parameters, using multiple-response optimization, we identified the optimal parameters for the manufacture of parts by FDM from rPETG and rASA: Lh = 0.20 mm and Id = 100%. The results of this study demonstrated that the use of recycled plastics from PETG and ASA lends itself to a production and consumption model based on a circular economy. Full article
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15 pages, 2686 KiB  
Article
Advancing the Characterization of Recycled Polyolefin Blends with a Combined Experimental and Numerical Approach to Thermomechanical Behavior
by Pei Hao, Charmayne Siebers, Kim Ragaert and Francisco A. Gilabert
Polymers 2024, 16(8), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16081153 - 19 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1914
Abstract
The blending of polyolefins (POs), such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), is a growing area of research, particularly for recycling mixed polyolefin (MPO) waste through flotation sorting techniques. However, understanding the thermomechanical behavior of these recycled blends is challenging due to limitations [...] Read more.
The blending of polyolefins (POs), such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), is a growing area of research, particularly for recycling mixed polyolefin (MPO) waste through flotation sorting techniques. However, understanding the thermomechanical behavior of these recycled blends is challenging due to limitations in the existing characterization methods. This paper introduces a combined experimental and numerical method to accurately assess the complex mechanical behavior of high-density PE, PP, and their blends. We conducted detailed thermomechanical analyses using a high-speed stereo digital image correlation (DIC) system paired with an infrared camera to capture temperature variations alongside mechanical stress and strain. This approach allowed us to correct for distortions caused by necking and to derive accurate stress–strain relationships. We also applied a cutting-edge unified semi-crystalline polymer (USCP) model to simplify the analysis, focusing on the effects of strain rate and temperature, including self-heating and thermal softening phenomena. Our results, which closely match experimental observations of stress–strain behavior and temperature changes, offer new insights into the thermomechanical properties of PO blends, which are essential for advancing their practical applications in various fields. Full article
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