Structure, Rheology, and Processing Applications of Polymer Materials

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of works related to the rheological phenomena of relevance to polymer processing using emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing and foaming. However, examinations of other conventional plastic shaping processes are welcome.

For tool eco-design, optimization and analysis of melt flow inside polymer processing equipment, the non-Newtonian nature of polymers must be taken into account. Therefore, rheology is involved in all areas of polymer processing from resin characterization to the establishment of final product performances. The objective is to use rheology for the selection between different grades of resins according to processing parameters and to predict their suitability to corresponding shaping processes. In fact, this original technique is able to easily probe the macromolecular structure, molecular weight distribution, degree of long-chain branching and topology of chains in the case of polymers, filled materials and blends. In addition, rheological measurements such as shear viscosity and characteristic relaxation times are necessary as inputs into numerical simulation codes for the design and dimensioning of polymer-processing tools such as dies and molds.

This Special Issue will cover a wide range of topics related to the flow of thermo-rheologically simple and complex fluids covering the case of mono and multi-phase systems. Special emphasis will be placed on the ‘‘micro/nano structuring’’ effects of processing on polymer morphology, surface/interface properties and ultimately relating these to physical performances.

The main challenge of this Special Issue is to present a selection of reference articles, communication or reviews collecting the latest data in these exciting fields of research, so they can help enriching current and future literature data. It is expected that submitted papers explore recent advances in polymer recycling methods related to polymers and composites. Thermoplastic-, thermoset- and elastomer-based materials are considered. Both theoretical and experimental studies will be examined, with particular attention to more environmentally friendly processes and eco-designed materials.

Dr. Mohamed Yousfi
Prof. Dr. Marie France Lacrampe
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 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. Materials 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 2600 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.

• processing
• rheology
• structure
• properties
• modeling