Polymers in the Face of Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues,

Today, polymer materials are widely used in many areas of human life, making an invaluable contribution to the development of civilization. Over the centuries, we have learned to draw the best from nature's resources, and in recent decades, we have been deceptively convinced only of the benefits that come from the use of petroleum-based raw materials. The reality turned out to be different. There are many problems with polymer processing and there is no simple way to solve them. Limited sources, high production costs and finally resistance to degradation are the main problems. It is worth noting that many additives in the polymer matrix in the form of plasticizers, compatibilizers and stabilizers are also not indifferent to the environment. Therefore, designing new biodegradable polymer materials and their pro-ecological processing will be quite a challenge in the coming years for both scientists and the entire polymer industry.

This Special Issue aims to collect current original research reports and literature reviews on the production, processing, use of polymers and polymer-based materials and the management of polymer post-production waste in accordance with the idea of sustainable development. We invite researchers to submit articles that will allow us to analyze the current state of knowledge as well as the trends and directions of the development of pro-ecological solutions in this field.

Dr. Arkadiusz Zarski
Dr. Sergiu Coseri
Dr. Andreea L. Chibac-Scutaru
Dr. Piotr Rychter
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-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.