Special Issue "Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Julfikar Haider
E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
Interests: surface engineering; metal machining; advanced welding; polymer composite fabrication; lean six sigma; design and modelling
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Muhammad Rahman
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
Interests: sustainable construction materials; composite materials; computational structural mechanics
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Gazi Md. Arifuzzaman Khan
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Islamic University, Kushtia 7003, Bangladesh
Interests: natural and synthetic polymer; biodegradable composite; nanomaterial; macromolecular chemistry; hydrogel

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer composite materials have recently acquired a large range of applications in a number of areas, such as automotive, aerospace, biomedical, sports, and even civil engineering. In this Special Issue, we are seeking both cutting-edge original research and review papers on the latest advancements in novel polymer composite/nanocomposite design, manufacturing, characterization, and modeling. Today, polymer composites encompass a large number of different synthetic and natural polymers as matrix material and a wide variety of organic and inorganic filler materials in the form of fiber, macroparticles, microparticles, and nanoparticles. By optimizing the filler content, it is possible to customize the material property for numerous applications as a structural or functional material (electrical, optical, thermal, and many more) with a lightweight construction. Recycling of conventional composite materials poses a huge challenge from an environmental point of view. More recently, polymers synthesized from biobased materials and with the addition of natural fiber have attracted a significant amount of attention among researchers for their ability to develop sustainable and biodegradable composite materials. The development of hybrid composite materials with multiple fillers and composite fabrication using 3D printing is of interest in this Special Issue.

Dr. Julfikar Haider
Dr. Muhammad Rahman
Prof. Dr. Gazi Md. Arifuzzaman Khan
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 papers will be 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 2200 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

  • Polymer
  • Biobased polymer
  • Composite
  • Nanoparticle
  • Natural fiber
  • Biocomposite
  • Physical characteristics
  • Mechanical characteristics
  • Composite design and characterization

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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Article
Effect of Rot-, Fire-, and Water-Retardant Treatments on Jute Fiber and Their Associated Thermoplastic Composites: A Study by FTIR
Polymers 2021, 13(15), 2571; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13152571 - 01 Aug 2021
Viewed by 479
Abstract
Natural renewable materials can play a big role in reducing the consumption of synthetic materials for environmental sustainability. Natural fiber-reinforced composites have attracted significant research and commercial importance due to their versatile characteristics and multi-dimensional applications. As the natural materials are easily rotten, [...] Read more.
Natural renewable materials can play a big role in reducing the consumption of synthetic materials for environmental sustainability. Natural fiber-reinforced composites have attracted significant research and commercial importance due to their versatile characteristics and multi-dimensional applications. As the natural materials are easily rotten, flammable, and moisture absorbent, they require additional chemical modification for use in sustainable product development. In the present research, jute fibers were treated with rot-, fire-, and water-retardant chemicals and their corresponding polymer composites were fabricated using a compression molding technique. To identify the effects of the chemical treatments on the jute fiber and their polymeric composites, a Fourier transformed infrared radiation (FTIR) study was conducted and the results were analyzed. The presence of various chemicals in the post-treated fibers and the associated composites were identified through the FTIR analysis. The varying weight percentage of the chemicals used for treating the fibers affected the physio-mechanical properties of the fiber as well as their composites. From the FTIR analysis, it was concluded that crystallinity increased with the chemical concentration of the treatment which could be contributed to the improvement in their mechanical performance. This study provides valuable information for both academia and industry on the effect of various chemical treatments of the jute fiber for improved product development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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Article
Use of Organic Acids in Bamboo Fiber-Reinforced Polypropylene Composites: Mechanical Properties and Interfacial Morphology
Polymers 2021, 13(12), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13122007 - 19 Jun 2021
Viewed by 420
Abstract
In obtaining wood polymer composites (WPCs), a weak interfacial bonding can cause problems during the processing and affect the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. A coupling agent (CA) is commonly used to solving this limitation. To improve the interfacial bonding between bamboo [...] Read more.
In obtaining wood polymer composites (WPCs), a weak interfacial bonding can cause problems during the processing and affect the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. A coupling agent (CA) is commonly used to solving this limitation. To improve the interfacial bonding between bamboo fiber (BF) and a polypropylene matrix, the effect of three organic acids on the mechanical properties and interfacial morphology were investigated. The BF/PP composites were prepared in five families: the first without CA, the second using a maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene coupling agent, and the third, fourth, and fifth families with the addition of organic acids (OA) tricarboxylic acid (TRIA), hexadecanoic acid (HEXA), and dodecanoic acid (DODA), respectively. The use of OA in BF/PP improved the interfacial adhesion with the PP matrix, and it results in better mechanical performance than composites without CA. Composites coupled with MAPP, TRIA, DODA, and HEXA showed an increase in Young’s modulus of about 26%, 23%, 15%, and 16% respectively compared to the composite without CA incorporation. In tensile strength, the increase in composites with CA was about 190%, while in the flexural modulus, the coupled composites showed higher values, and the increase was more in composites with TRIA: about 46%. The improvement caused by tricarboxylic acid was similar to that promoted by the addition of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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Review

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Review
Fiber Selection for Reinforced Additive Manufacturing
Polymers 2021, 13(14), 2231; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13142231 - 07 Jul 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 556
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to survey, categorize, and compare the mechanical and thermal characteristics of fibers in order to assist designers with the selection of fibers for inclusion as reinforcing materials in the additive manufacturing process. The vast “family of fibers” [...] Read more.
The purpose of this review is to survey, categorize, and compare the mechanical and thermal characteristics of fibers in order to assist designers with the selection of fibers for inclusion as reinforcing materials in the additive manufacturing process. The vast “family of fibers” is described with a Venn diagram to highlight natural, synthetic, organic, ceramic, and mineral categories. This review explores the history and practical uses of particular fiber types and explains fiber production methods in general terms. The focus is on short-cut fibers including staple fibers, chopped strands, and whiskers added to polymeric matrix resins to influence the bulk properties of the resulting printed materials. This review discusses common measurements for specific strength and tenacity in the textile and construction industries, including denier and tex, and discusses the proposed “yuri” measurement unit. Individual fibers are selected from subcategories and compared in terms of their mechanical and thermal properties, i.e., density, tensile strength, tensile stiffness, flexural rigidity, moisture regain, decomposition temperature, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity. This review concludes with an example of the successful 3D printing of a large boat at the University of Maine and describes considerations for the selection of specific individual fibers used in the additive manufacturing process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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