Polymer Degradation and Aging: Mechanisms and Environmental Impacts
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Analysis and Characterization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1114
Editors
2. Environmental Pollution Control Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: polymer chemistry; environmental analytical chemistry; micro- and nanoplastics; UV aging; additives leaching
Interests: monomer synthesis; biobased (co)polymers; biobased (nano)additives; natural antioxidant additives; ageing behaviour
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The performance, durability, and environmental fate of polymeric materials are profoundly influenced by degradation and aging processes. This Special Issue aims to gather cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews on the mechanisms, kinetics, and implications of polymer degradation under various environmental and engineered conditions. Topics of interest include thermal, photo-oxidative, mechanical, chemical, and biological aging of polymers; mechanisms of biodegradation and biofragmentation; and the formation of micro- and nanoplastics as degradation byproducts. Studies addressing degradation in water and wastewater systems, analytical and methodological advances for characterizing aged or weathered polymers, and the environmental and health impacts of degraded polymer particles are also welcome. By integrating insights from materials science, polymer chemistry, and environmental science, this Special Issue seeks to promote a holistic understanding of polymer aging and guide the development of more sustainable polymeric materials and mitigation strategies.
Dr. Nina Maria Ainali
Dr. Alexandra Zamboulis
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 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-anonymized 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
- polymer degradation
- aging processes
- biodegradation
- microplastics and nanoplastics
- environmental aging
- weathering mechanisms
- analytical characterization
- polymer stability
- environmental fate
- sustainable polymers
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