Advanced Polymeric Composites for Environmental Applications: Catalytic Remediation of Emerging Contaminants and their Conversion into High-Value Products
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: 2D materials; composites; emerging contaminants; photocatalysis; piezocatalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: hybrid materials; polymeric membranes; photocatalysis; sustainability; biomaterials; printing; composite materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
The growing emergence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial by-products, poses a major threat to ecosystems and human health, and thus requires innovative and sustainable solutions. Advanced materials and composites have gained increasing attention as versatile platforms for catalytic remediation thanks to their tailorable physical–chemical properties, tuneable active sites, and multifunctional behaviour. In this Special Issue, we highlight recent advances in photocatalysis, sonocatalysis, piezocatalysis, electrocatalysis, and hybrid catalytic processes for the efficient degradation of persistent pollutants in water and air. Particular focus is placed on the design of nanostructured and composite materials that couple high catalytic efficiency with durability, scalability, and environmental compatibility. Beyond contaminant removal, we also welcome contributions that explore catalytic pathways for upcycling contaminants into high-value products, including fuels, platform chemicals, and green-energy carriers such as hydrogen and ammonia. By bridging environmental remediation with resource recovery, this Special Issue aims to stimulate the formation of cross-disciplinary approaches that address global sustainability challenges while enabling the creation of circular economy models.
Dr. Hugo Salazar
Dr. Pedro Manuel Martins
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
- polymers
- composites
- 2D materials
- inorganics
- emerging contaminants
- conversion
- photocatalysis
- piezocatalysis
- thermocatalysis
- electrocatalysis
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