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Polymers
Special Issues
Polymeric Composites for Functional Apparel, Equipment, and Footwear in Sports 
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Polymeric Composites for Functional Apparel, Equipment, and Footwear in Sports 

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 5556

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vitali Lipik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Interests: textile for sport apparel and textile for protection against cold; polymers and polymeric composites which are used for sport equipment production as well as for sport shoes; shape memory polymers and polymeric foam

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers and Polymeric Composites for Sporting Goods and Equipment is a peer-reviewed Special Issue of the journal Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360) published by MDPI. The Special Issue is dedicated to the advancement in research and development in the field of polymers and polymeric composites designed for the final application in sporting goods. The emphasis of the journal is on the high performance, functional yarn for sport apparel; materials influencing sport performance; foams with different properties from high impact absorption and cushioning to high energy return; polymeric membranes with high water resistance and water vapour permeability applicable for sport apparel; and layered materials and polymers for sport gear.

The journal seeks to publish top-level research on polymers and polymeric composite materials targeted for the usage in sport apparel, footwear, and equipment. Original full-length papers, topical review articles, opinion and short communications will be considered for the publication in this journal. The journal has adopted highest academic standards, integrity and a fast, efficient publication platform. Each contribution will be refereed by two expert reviewers for comments before acceptance.

Fields of interest to the journal include, but are not limited to:

  • Polymer composites for sports equipment and gear;
  • New foams and composite materials for sport footwear. High rebounding, energy return, high cushioning and impact absorption materials in sport footwear;
  • Membranes, layered and laminated materials in sport apparel;
  • Lightweight polymeric materials and composites for sport equipment;
  • Protective and impact absorbing materials for sport gear;
  • High functional fibers and smart textiles for sport apparel and footwear;
  • Thermal insulation for winter sport apparel;
  • Elastic, cooling, heating, conductive and other materials for high comfort and sport performance;
  • Water resistant materials for sport apparel and equipment;
  • Auxetic material for sport;
  • Polymeric materials for balls, rackets, and ballistic sport equipment;
  • New methods of testing of materials for sport applications.

Dr. Vitali Lipik
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

  • polymers and polymeric composites
  • foams for sport footwear and protective gear
  • impact absorption
  • functional yarns for sport apparel
  • high performance membranes
  • sport equipment

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 21053 KiB  
Article
An Experimental Investigation of the Mechanical Performance of EPS Foam Core Sandwich Composites Used in Surfboard Design
by Sam Crameri, Filip Stojcevski and Clara Usma-Mansfield
Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2703; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122703 - 16 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1944
Abstract
Surfboard manufacturing has begun to utilise Expanded Polystyrene as a core material; however, surf literature relatively ignores this material. This manuscript investigates the mechanical behaviour of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) sandwich composites. An epoxy resin matrix was used to manufacture ten sandwich-structured composite panels [...] Read more.
Surfboard manufacturing has begun to utilise Expanded Polystyrene as a core material; however, surf literature relatively ignores this material. This manuscript investigates the mechanical behaviour of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) sandwich composites. An epoxy resin matrix was used to manufacture ten sandwich-structured composite panels with varying fabric reinforcements (carbon fibre, glass fibre, PET) and two foam densities. The flexural, shear, fracture, and tensile properties were subsequently compared. Under common flexural loading, all composites failed via compression of the core, which is known in surfing terms as creasing. However, crack propagation tests indicated a sudden brittle failure in the E-glass and carbon fibre facings and progressive plastic deformation for the recycled polyethylene terephthalate facings. Testing showed that higher foam density increased the flex and fracture mechanical properties of composites. Overall, the plain weave carbon fibre presented the highest strength composite facing, while the single layer of E-glass was the lowest strength composite. Interestingly, the double-bias weave carbon fibre with a lower-density foam core presented similar stiffness behaviour to standard E-glass surfboard materials. The double-biased carbon also improved the flexural strength (+17%), material toughness (+107%), and fracture toughness (+156%) of the composite compared to E-glass. These findings indicate surfboard manufacturers can utilise this carbon weave pattern to produce surfboards with equal flex behaviour, lower weight and improved resistance to damage in regular loading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Composites for Functional Apparel, Equipment, and Footwear in Sports )
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18 pages, 4334 KiB  
Article
Nanocomposite Foams with Balanced Mechanical Properties and Energy Return from EVA and CNT for the Midsole of Sports Footwear Application
by Boon Peng Chang, Aleksandr Kashcheev, Andrei Veksha, Grzegorz Lisak, Ronn Goei, Kah Fai Leong, Alfred ling Yoong Tok and Vitali Lipik
Polymers 2023, 15(4), 948; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040948 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3007
Abstract
Polymer foam that provides good support with high energy return (low energy loss) is desirable for sport footwear to improve running performance. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam is commonly used in the midsole of running shoes. However, EVA foam exhibits low mechanical properties. [...] Read more.
Polymer foam that provides good support with high energy return (low energy loss) is desirable for sport footwear to improve running performance. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam is commonly used in the midsole of running shoes. However, EVA foam exhibits low mechanical properties. Conventional mineral fillers are usually employed to improve EVA’s mechanical performance, but the energy return is sacrificed. Here, we produced nanocomposite foams from EVA and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) using a chemical foaming process. Two kinds of CNT derived from the upcycling of commodity plastics were prepared through a catalytic chemical vapor deposition process and used as reinforcing and nucleating agents. Our results show that EVA foam incorporated with oxygenated CNT (O-CNT) demonstrated a more pronounced improvement of physical, mechanical, and dynamic impact response properties than acid-purified CNT (A-CNT). When CNT with weight percentage as low as 0.5 wt% was added to the nanocomposites, the physical properties, abrasion resistance, compressive strength, dynamic stiffness, and rebound performance of the EVA foams were improved significantly. Unlike the conventional EVA formulation filled with talc mineral fillers, the incorporation of CNT does not compromise the energy return of the EVA foam. From the long-cycle dynamic fatigue test, the CNT/EVA foam displays greater properties retention as compared to the talc/EVA foam. This work demonstrates a good balanced of mechanical-energy return properties of EVA nanocomposite foam with very low CNT content, which presents promising opportunities for lightweight–high rebound midsoles for running shoes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymeric Composites for Functional Apparel, Equipment, and Footwear in Sports )
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