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Polymers
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Advances in the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites
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Advances in the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2026 | Viewed by 1954

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xujiang Chao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: computational mechanics of composites; mechanical metamaterial
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wenlong Tian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
Interests: thermal conductivity; composites; numerical simulation; mechanical properties; polymer composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer composites have become indispensable in modern engineering, yet optimizing their mechanical performance remains a key challenge. This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research on enhancing and understanding the mechanical properties of polymer composite materials and advanced structures. We invite contributions focused on innovative characterization techniques that reveal multi-scale behavior, novel fabrication methods for improved performance and functionality, and advanced numerical models for accurately predicting mechanical responses. A particular emphasis is placed on the emerging field of mechanical metamaterials and architected composites, exploring their unique design, fabrication, and application potential in areas such as lightweighting, energy absorption, and adaptive structures. This collection seeks to bridge experimental, theoretical, and computational advances, providing a comprehensive platform for researchers to share insights that drive the next generation of high-performance composite materials and intelligent structural systems.

Dr. Xujiang Chao
Dr. Wenlong Tian
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.

Keywords

  • polymer composites
  • mechanical characterization
  • numerical modeling
  • additive manufacturing
  • mechanical metamaterials
  • lightweight structures

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3061 KB  
Article
Enhanced Absorption Dominated Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Enabled by Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Reinforced Electrospun PVDF Nanocomposite
by Hisham Bamufleh, Usman Saeed, Abdulrahim Alzahrani, Aqeel Ahmad Taimoor, Sami-ullah Rather, Hesham Alhumade, Walid M. Alalayah and Hamad AlTuraif
Polymers 2026, 18(7), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18070789 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 902
Abstract
The increasing density of wireless and wearable electronic devices necessitates the development of lightweight, flexible, and absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. In this study, electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite mats reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanosheets at low filler loadings [...] Read more.
The increasing density of wireless and wearable electronic devices necessitates the development of lightweight, flexible, and absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. In this study, electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite mats reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanosheets at low filler loadings (1–3 wt.%) were fabricated and systematically investigated for X-band (8.0–12.5 GHz) EMI shielding performance. Raman, FTIR, and thermal analyses confirm enhanced electroactive β-phase formation and improved thermal stability upon nanofiller incorporation. The formation of interconnected conductive networks within the electrospun fibrous architecture leads to a significant increase in electrical conductivity from 10−7 S·cm−1 for pure PVDF to 10−2 S·cm−1 and 10−1 S·cm−1 for CNT/PVDF and Graphene/PVDF composites, respectively, at 3 wt.% loading. Consequently, the total EMI shielding effectiveness (SET) increases from 2.5 dB for pure PVDF to 40 dB for CNT/PVDF and 42 dB for graphene/PVDF composites at 3 wt.%. The shielding effectiveness arising from absorption (SEA) dominates the overall EMI shielding performance, contributing more than 85% of the total shielding effectiveness (SET), which clearly indicates an absorption-controlled shielding mechanism. The combination of high absorption-dominated EMI shielding, low filler content, and mechanical flexibility highlights these electrospun CNT/PVDF and graphene/PVDF composites as promising candidates for next-generation flexible, wearable, and biomedical EMI shielding applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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19 pages, 2597 KB  
Article
Multiscale Synergistic Investigation on the Mechanical and Tribological Performances of Graphene-Reinforced PEEK/PTFE Composites
by Yan Wang, Kaiqi Dong, Henan Tang, Bin Yang and Shijie Wang
Polymers 2026, 18(3), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18030308 - 23 Jan 2026
Viewed by 729
Abstract
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a self-lubricating material but has poor wear resistance. The wear resistance of the composites was enhanced by the incorporation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), whereas the friction-reducing performance was compromised, thus resulting in an inherent trade-off between wear resistance and lubricity. Graphene [...] Read more.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a self-lubricating material but has poor wear resistance. The wear resistance of the composites was enhanced by the incorporation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), whereas the friction-reducing performance was compromised, thus resulting in an inherent trade-off between wear resistance and lubricity. Graphene nanosheets (GNSs) with high strength and lubricity were introduced as a reinforcement for PEEK/PTFE composites. Composite specimens with varying GNS contents were fabricated and characterized for their mechanical and tribological properties and wear morphologies. Combined with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the micro-mechanisms were further elucidated. The optimal GNS content was determined to be 2 wt%, which improved the tensile strength by 10.58% and reduced the wear rate by 17.88% compared to PEEK/PTFE. It achieved the synchronous enhancement of mechanical strength and wear resistance while maintaining desirable friction-reducing performance. MD simulation results demonstrated that the strong interfacial interactions between GNSx and the polymer enabled GNSs to adsorb polymer chains and form a dense rigid network with reduced free volume (FV). The mechanical properties were enhanced by efficient load transfer and the suppression of interfacial delamination enabled by this unique structure; meanwhile, wear resistance was improved due to the mitigation of friction-induced molecular chain scission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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