Polymer Crystallization
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 25
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polymer science; physical chemistry of polymers; X-ray scattering; hybrid materials; polymer blends
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
At a basic level, polymer crystallization is a subfield of polymer physics. In a practical context, polymer crystallization is a tool in the designing and tuning properties of all kinds of polymer materials, including, classically, commodity plastics, blends, or composites. The importance of polymer crystallization reaches, however, far beyond the above classical perception. The properties of functional polymeric materials, including flexible semiconductors and polymer piezo- or thermoelectrics, are critically defined by their ordering.
Polymer crystallization is a fascinating phenomenon. For nearly ten decades, a concerted effort from both academia and the industry has driven significant advances within this field. Yet, some observations related to the structure and morphology of polymer crystals remain not fully explained in terms of theory and modeling. Generally, the bulk crystallization of polymers seems relatively well described in terms of phenomenology and molecular interpretation. However, there are still challenges related to crystallization under specific conditions. For instance, crystallization in ultrathin films or other nanoconfined environments is still unsaturated with experimental observations and theories integrating surface and polymer science, and there are many more fascinating examples.
Hence, in this Special Issue of Polymers entitled ‘Polymer Crystallization’, we aim to provide a timely perspective on the advances and key findings related to the topic defined in the title. Full research articles and reviews are all encouraged. Experimental and theoretical contributions are welcome.
Topics covered can include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Polymer crystallization thermodynamics and kinetics from a theoretical and modeling perspective.
- Physics of nucleation and growth in polymer systems and the role of imperfections or impurities.
- Structure and morphology of polymer crystals.
- Crystallinity–property relationships in polymer systems.
- Role of polymer crystallization and crystallinity in functional materials, semiconductors, and piezo- and thermoelectrics.
- Strain-induced crystallization in thermoplastics and elastomers.
- Semicrystalline polymers at biointerfaces.
- Advanced characterization methods (time-resolved scattering and related, advanced spectroscopy, multi-technique crystallography, AFM/TERS, SNOM, etc.).
We look forward to your valuable contribution to this Special Issue.
Dr. Adam Kiersnowski
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 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 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
- crystallization kinetics
- lamellar structure
- macromolecular liquid crystals
- nucleation of polymer crystals
- ordered polymer structures
- polymer crystal growth
- polymer spectroscopy
- scattering of polymers
- semicrystalline polymers
- stimuli-induced polymer transitions
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