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Polymers
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Wood Polymer Composites: Progress and Prospects
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Wood Polymer Composites: Progress and Prospects

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1457

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alfredo Dias

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Guest Editor
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra (UC), 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: timber engineering; wood mechanics; composite materials; timber–concrete composite; wood modification techniques; structural engineering; sustainable construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fernando Junior Resende Mascarenhas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra (UC), 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: timber engineering; wood modification; wood polymer composites; microwave processing of wood; sustainable construction materials; wood durability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wood polymer composites (WPCs) continue to gain prominence as versatile materials capable of combining the advantages of lignocellulosic resources with the tailored performance of polymer systems. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in improving their manufacturability, structural integrity, long-term durability and environmental performance. At the same time, emerging modification techniques, such as microwave-assisted treatments, chemical impregnation, polymer treatment and nano‐enhanced formulation, have opened new possibilities for engineering WPCs with superior mechanical behaviour, enhanced dimensional stability and greater resistance to biological degradation.

This Special Issue aims to gather original research and critical and systematic reviews that advance our understanding of WPC processing, structure–property relationships and performance under service conditions. Contributions addressing life-cycle assessment, circular and bio-based design strategies and applications in building sectors are particularly welcome. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives from materials science, wood technology and engineering, this Special Issue seeks to provide an updated view of current developments and to highlight promising pathways for the next generation of sustainable wood polymer composites.

Dr. Alfredo Dias
Guest Editor

Dr. Fernando Junior Resende Mascarenhas
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • wood polymer composites
  • wood modification
  • polymer impregnation
  • microwave-assisted processing
  • sustainable materials
  • dimensional stability
  • mechanical performance
  • durability
  • bio-based engineering

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 5776 KB  
Article
Combined Microwave Pretreatment and MMA Impregnation for the Development of High-Performance Wood–Polymer Composites
by Fernando Resende Mascarenhas, Júnior, André Luis Christoforo, Rogério Manuel Santos Simões, Alfredo Manuel Pereira Geraldes Dias, André Eduardo Palos Cunha and Francisco Antonio Rocco Lahr
Polymers 2026, 18(10), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18101185 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 7
Abstract
Wood–polymer composites (WPCs) produced through monomer impregnation have attracted increasing interest as a strategy to improve the durability and performance of wood materials. However, the limited permeability of certain wood species often restricts the effectiveness of impregnation treatments. This study investigates the use [...] Read more.
Wood–polymer composites (WPCs) produced through monomer impregnation have attracted increasing interest as a strategy to improve the durability and performance of wood materials. However, the limited permeability of certain wood species often restricts the effectiveness of impregnation treatments. This study investigates the use of microwave (MW) pretreatment as a drying and microstructural modification step to enhance methyl methacrylate (MMA) impregnation and in situ polymerization in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) heartwood specimens. Wood specimens were subjected to MW treatment of 700 W and 5 min cycles prior to vacuum-pressure impregnation with MMA and subsequent thermal polymerization. Scanning electron microscopy and treatability parameters confirmed that MW pretreatment increased wood impregnability by generating microcracks and improving monomer penetration, thereby resulting in higher polymer retention and a higher weight percentage gain. As a result, the combined MW+MMA treatment produced a more homogeneous distribution of polymethyl methacrylate within the wood structure. The modified specimens showed a substantial reduction in water absorption and the highest water repellence efficiency among the studied groups, while dimensional stability improved to a lesser extent. In addition, the combined treatment significantly increased bending strength and stiffness, indicating an effective reinforcement of the wood structure through polymer loading. These results demonstrate that MW pretreatment is an efficient strategy to improve the treatability of maritime pine heartwood and to enhance the performance of MMA-based WPCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Polymer Composites: Progress and Prospects)
15 pages, 3393 KB  
Article
Antimicrobial Effect of Cellulose Nanofibrils (CNFs) and Biobased Additives in Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanocomposite Materials for Sustainable Food Packaging Application
by Fabiola Valdebenito, Carolina Paz Quezada, Danitza Parra, Valentina Rivera, Elizabeth Elgueta, Rodrigo Cáceres, René Cabezas, Carlos Farkas, Miguel Pereira, Laura Azocar and Giovanni Ponce
Polymers 2026, 18(7), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18070846 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 516
Abstract
This study investigates the development of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based nanocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and biobased additives derived from blueberry pruning waste for sustainable food packaging applications. The nanocomposites were fabricated via solvent casting and evaluated in terms of their thermal [...] Read more.
This study investigates the development of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based nanocomposite films reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) and biobased additives derived from blueberry pruning waste for sustainable food packaging applications. The nanocomposites were fabricated via solvent casting and evaluated in terms of their thermal and antimicrobial properties. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) revealed that the thermal degradation of the nanocomposites occurs through overlapping processes of PVA and CNFs, with maximum degradation temperatures ranging from 273 to 293 °C depending on the formulation. The incorporation of CNFs modified the degradation pathway and promoted the formation of thermally stable carbonaceous residues, while TEMPO-oxidized samples exhibited a decrease in degradation onset (14–24 °C) due to the presence of oxidized surface groups. Remarkably, the nanocomposites exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria without the incorporation of external antimicrobial agents. Bleached PVA/CNFs films achieved complete growth inhibition (100%), while lignin-containing and additive-modified systems showed selective antibacterial behavior. Zeta potential analysis confirmed a negatively charged CNF surface (−35.3 mV), which may contribute to electrostatic interactions with bacterial membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed nanostructured surfaces with exposed fibrillar networks that promote bacterial adhesion and immobilization, supporting a contact-active antimicrobial mechanism. These findings demonstrate that the antimicrobial performance of PVA/CNFs nanocomposites is governed by intrinsic physicochemical and topographical properties rather than by the release of antimicrobial agents. This approach provides a safer and more sustainable strategy for the design of active food packaging materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Polymer Composites: Progress and Prospects)
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18 pages, 4459 KB  
Article
Wollastonite in Acrylic Paint to Protect Normal and Heat-Treated Spruce Wood Against Coniophora puteana
by Hamid R. Taghiyari, Elham Nadali, Antonio Pizzi, Afshin Rahmati, Olaf Schmidt and Antonios N. Papadopoulos
Polymers 2026, 18(7), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18070788 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 445
Abstract
This study investigates the efficacy of wollastonite-enriched acrylic paint in protecting spruce wood (Picea abies) against the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. Unheated and heat-treated wood samples (185 °C for 4 h) were coated with either plain acrylic paint or wollastonite-enriched [...] Read more.
This study investigates the efficacy of wollastonite-enriched acrylic paint in protecting spruce wood (Picea abies) against the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. Unheated and heat-treated wood samples (185 °C for 4 h) were coated with either plain acrylic paint or wollastonite-enriched acrylic paint and exposed to the fungus. Fungal resistance was evaluated by measuring mass loss (ML) and compression strength parallel to the grain. While conventional acrylic coatings provide a physical barrier against moisture and limited microbial attack, their effectiveness against C. puteana is often insufficient. Our results show that untreated controls lost 23.8% of their mass, whereas plain acrylic paint reduced mass loss only slightly. In contrast, wollastonite-enriched paint significantly decreased ML in both unheated and heat-treated specimens, demonstrating superior antifungal performance. These findings indicate that incorporating wollastonite into acrylic paint enhances fungal resistance, offering a simple, environmentally friendly, and effective surface treatment for spruce wood. This study fills a research gap in the use of mineral additives in acrylic coatings and highlights a practical approach for improving wood durability against fungal decay. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wood Polymer Composites: Progress and Prospects)
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