Recent Progress in Surface Treatment for Polymer Materials by Plasmas

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers are indispensable materials in everyday life in modern 21st-century society. The complexity of polymer materials offers researchers the freedom to study known plastic materials under various conditions and to create new materials with remarkable properties. Experience has shown that polymer materials often do not have the desired properties for the intended applications, e.g., modifying surface properties to increase surface adhesion or increase surface energy, or modifying morphology or even chemical behavior. Currently, there are various physicochemical methods that allow for surface modifications of plastic materials. Among the currently used techniques and methods, plasma technologies are of growing interest for many reasons, including being chemical waste-free, as well as their ease of use, rapid and long-lasting effects, and versatility. This Special Issue aims to include experimental results that will enrich the know-how in modifying polymer surfaces exposed to plasma technologies. We welcome studies involving the use and development/customization of various atmospheric pressure plasma sources (DBD, jet, torch, glide-arc, and others) for modifying polymer surfaces used in biomedical, agro-food, additive manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace scenarios. In addition, we also welcome studies using surface investigation techniques and methods that show a strong correlation between the results obtained and the operational parameters of the plasma sources. Topics of interest are not limited to the above; however, articles should emphasize the need to use plasma technologies for modifying polymer surfaces as required for specific applications (e.g., medicine, food, industry, etc.).

Dr. Andrei Vasile Nastuta
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 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.