Recent Advances in Natural Polymers for Sustainable Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Natural polymers derived from renewable resources—including polysaccharides, proteins, lignin, and their derivatives—constitute an important class of materials with increasing relevance in sustainable technologies. Their defined chemical structures, predictable degradation pathways, and suitability for chemical and physical modification make them valuable matrices for developing functional materials.

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in the synthesis, modification, processing, and application of natural polymer-based systems. We particularly encourage studies that address environmentally responsible synthesis methods, green processing approaches, and detailed analyses of structure–property relationships. Contributions concerning functionalization strategies that enhance the mechanical, physicochemical, or biological performance of natural polymer materials are also welcomed. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, biomedical engineering, controlled-release systems, packaging, water and wastewater treatment, agriculture, and protective coatings, as well as research consistent with circular bioeconomy principles.

We invite original research articles, communications, and review papers presenting experimental, theoretical, or interdisciplinary work related to natural polymers and their sustainable applications. We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Justyna Kozlowska
Guest Editor

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.