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Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites

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A Special Issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360) belonging to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 2306

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Editor

Dr. Jiaqiao Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
Interests: carbon fiber-reinforced polymer; cryogenic composites; composite damage and fatigue; composite pressure vessels

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the demand for lightweight, high-performance, and sustainable materials has driven rapid advancements in polymer composites. Among these, thermoplastic composites have gained immense attention due to their unique advantages, including excellent fracture toughness, rapid processing capabilities, weldability, and, most importantly, inherent recyclability. These characteristics make them highly desirable for modern and emerging applications, including aerospace, the automotive sector, pipelines, hydrogen storage vessels, and robotics.

This Special Issue, titled “Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites”, is dedicated to exploring the latest scientific discoveries and technological innovations in this rapidly evolving field. We aim to cover all aspects of thermoplastic composites, from matrix design and interfacial properties with fibers to the advanced manufacturing of thermoplastic composites and end-of-life recycling strategies.

We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, comprehensive review papers, and short communications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Design, processing, and characterization of thermoplastic composites;
Manufacturing of thermoplastic composites (e.g., 3D/4D printing, automated fiber placement, automated tape laying, and thermoforming);
Interfacial properties with fibers, surface modification, and filler–matrix interactions;
New applications of thermoplastic composites (e.g., pipelines, aerospace, robotics, and composite pressure vessels);
Continuous and short fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites;
Thermoplastic polymer blends and hybrid systems;
Recycling, upcycling, and life-cycle assessment of thermoplastic composites;
Functional thermoplastic composites (e.g., gas barrier, thermally/electrically conductive, electromagnetic shielding, and flame retardant);
Damage mechanics, fracture behaviors, fatigue, and structural health monitoring.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions and creating a highly impactful and comprehensive collection on recent advances in thermoplastic polymer composites.

Dr. Jiaqiao Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

thermoplastic composites
manufacturing of thermoplastic composites
fiber-reinforced thermoplastics
interfacial properties with fibers
composite pressure vessels and pipelines
aerospace and robotics applications
recycling and sustainable materials
functional thermoplastic composites
modified epoxy resins
fracture mechanics and fatigue

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 14099 KB

Open AccessArticle

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene-Synergized Intumescent Flame-Retardant Polylactic Acid Composites: Flame Retardancy, Thermal Behavior, and SBS Toughening

by Liqun He, Wan Zhang, Jianji Wang and Jianxiao Bian

Polymers 2026, 18(17), 2078; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18172078 - 27 Aug 2026

Viewed by 307

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) is derived from renewable resources and can be composted under controlled industrial conditions, but its flammability and brittleness limit wider use. This study combined Ti₃C₂T_x MXene with surface terminations and an intumescent flame retardant (IFR) system based on ammonium polyphosphate and pentaerythritol (4:1, w/w). A styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) elastomer was then added to improve toughness. At a total flame retardant loading of 10 wt%, PLA/8.5IFR/1.5MXene reached a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 30.32% and a UL-94 V-0 rating without dripping. Compared with PLA/10IFR, the peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) decreased by 18.6% and 28.8%, respectively, and the residue at 600 °C increased from 5.88 to 6.75 wt%. The composite containing MXene formed a denser char and showed a slightly lower Raman D/G intensity ratio. Adding 10 wt% SBS increased notched impact strength by 48% for PLA/IFR and 31% for PLA/IFR/MXene, but reduced tensile strength and modulus. MXene therefore improved the barrier in the condensed phase at a lower IFR content, while SBS partly recovered toughness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites)

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13 pages, 9314 KB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon-Material-Modified Polyester Nonwoven Composites with Enhanced Mechanical, Electrical, and Thermal Properties

by Wenyan Gu, Xinyi Jin, Jiaqiao Zhang, Nannan Guo, Yu Shi, Jiang Shi, Xiangrong Lan and Licheng Zhu

Polymers 2026, 18(14), 1718; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18141718 - 13 Jul 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 415

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT)- and graphene flake (GF)-modified polyester (PET) nonwoven composites were prepared using a one-sided impregnation process with waterborne polyurethane (PU) as the binder. The objective of this work was to clarify how the geometry and loading of one-dimensional CNTs and two-dimensional GFs regulate conductive network formation, anisotropic mechanical behavior, and thermal response in PU/PET nonwoven composites. The novelty of the study lies in the direct comparison of CNT and GF fillers in the same nonwoven/PU matrix and in correlating filler morphology with mechanical reinforcement, electrical conductivity, and textile-related thermal management performance. The sample codes C5 and C6 represent CNT contents of 5 and 6 wt.%, respectively, while G4 and G6 represent GF contents of 4 and 6 wt.%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that GF tended to form sheet-like coatings on fiber surfaces and to fill inter-fiber pores, whereas CNTs showed more local aggregation because of their high surface energy. The composites exhibited anisotropic tensile behavior, with higher tensile strength in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. In the longitudinal tensile test, G4 reached a tensile strength of 13.01 MPa, while C5 reached 11.35 MPa. With increasing carbon material content, both the electrical and thermal conductivities of the composites increased. The electrical conductivity reached 0.02100 S/cm for C6 and 0.05893 S/cm for G6. The thermal conductivity of the CNT/PU/PET composites increased from 0.1163 to 0.1923 W/(m·K), whereas that of the GF/PU/PET composites increased from 0.1793 to 0.2537 W/(m·K). Infrared thermal imaging further indicated that carbon material addition produced faster heating and slower heat dissipation than the unmodified PU/PET sample. These results provide a useful reference for developing multifunctional nonwoven composites for smart textiles, special protective clothing, wearable thermal management layers, and flexible electronic textile substrates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites)

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19 pages, 2944 KB

Open AccessArticle

Cell Structure Regulation of Polypropylene/Ethylene-Propylene Rubber Bead Foams and Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Their Molded Products

by Zi’ang Hu, Xiulu Gao, Yichong Chen, Jiacheng Wang, Ling Zhao and Dongdong Hu

Polymers 2026, 18(12), 1540; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18121540 - 21 Jun 2026

Viewed by 526

Abstract

To improve the foamability and steam-chest molding performance of polypropylene (PP) bead foams, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) was introduced into PP via melt blending. The role of EPR in the complete bead-foaming-to-molding process was systematically investigated by correlating phase morphology, crystallization behavior, melt viscoelasticity, CO₂ dissolution and diffusion, cellular structure, inter-bead welding, and the mechanical properties of molded foam products. The incorporation of EPR refined the PP crystalline morphology, reduced the apparent crystallinity, and markedly enhanced the melt viscoelasticity, thereby broadening the foaming temperature window. The dispersed EPR phase functioned simultaneously as a CO₂ reservoir and a high-diffusivity pathway of CO₂, which promoted cell growth while suppressing excessive nucleation. The enhanced melt viscoelasticity and improved CO₂ affinity promoted bead expansion and optimized the cellular structure. At 150 °C, the expansion ratio increased from 18.7 for neat PP to 21.1 with 10 wt% EPR. EPR also regulated the cellular structure. At 150 °C, the cell diameter increased from 83 to 176 μm as the EPR content increased from 0 to 20 wt%. EPR markedly changed the double-melting behavior of PP bead foams. The low-temperature melting enthalpy increased from 28.5 J/g for neat PP to 37.8 J/g with 10 wt% EPR, which served as an effective interfacial binder, significantly promoting inter-bead welding. Consequently, the optimized PP/EPR foam containing 10 wt% EPR exhibited a tensile strength of 1.13 MPa and an elongation at break of 22.1%. More importantly, excellent molding quality was achieved at a reduced steam pressure of 2.2 bar, demonstrating the great potential of PP/EPR bead foams for the energy-efficient manufacturing of high-performance lightweight products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites)

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21 pages, 4784 KB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon-Core/Molecular-State-Regulated Red/Blue Dual-Emission Carbon Quantum Dots Covalently Anchored on Polyvinyl Alcohol for Multifunctional Agricultural Films in Greenhouse Potato Production

by Zhimin Ye, Jiwei Liu, Maolin Wang, Kun Huang, Li Zhang, Yuanyuan Jiang, Ying Wang, Yunsong Zhang and Li Lin

Polymers 2026, 18(12), 1442; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18121442 - 9 Jun 2026

Viewed by 612

Abstract

For agricultural films, spectral matching, UV protection, and environmental durability are essential for efficient crop production. A self-cleaning silane-crosslinked red/blue dual-emission carbon dot/polyvinyl alcohol composite film (KH/RB-CQDs/PVA) was fabricated via a covalent anchoring strategy. RB-CQDs were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method using o-phenylenediamine: initial blue-emitting carbon cores formed, then phosphoric acid-assisted secondary treatment covalently bridged residual precursor-derived red fluorophores onto cores through pyrophosphate bonds, as evidenced by TEM, XPS, ³¹P NMR, HPLC-MS and DFT. This rigid bridging suppressed excessive core growth and energy transfer while spatially separating dual emission, endowing excellent photostability (>95% fluorescence retention after 50 min UV and 30 d storage). Subsequently, KH-560 was employed to construct a robust covalent crosslinked network anchoring RB-CQDs in PVA and forming rough Si-O-Si surface structures, confirmed by SEM and XPS. The resulting film exhibited 16.16% quantum yield, 291% tensile strength enhancement, 95% UV shielding, and <1% contaminant residue. Chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics, gas-exchange analyses, and photosynthetic response curves demonstrated that KH/RB-CQDs/PVA increased the potato net photosynthetic rate by 55.46% and tuber yield by 76% through synergistic optimization of photosystem II electron transport and RuBisCO-mediated carbon assimilation. This work provides a molecular design principle for high-performance intelligent agricultural films. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoplastic Polymer Composites)

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