Polymers

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue has a special focus on eco-friendly polymers, polymer composites, hybrid polymeric materials, nanocomposites, and blends and polymeric materials for sustainability.

This Special Issue will consider recent advancements in research and development in the synthesis, characterization, processing, morphology, structure, properties, and applications of advanced polymeric materials. Recent advances in the synthesis of polymeric materials by improving the interfaces (of inorganic/organic nature) using different fillers and coupling agents have shown strong potential to generate materials with better sustainability properties.

Fundamental advances in nanocomposite blends and nanostructured polymeric materials in environmental sustainability applications are highlighted in this issue.

This Special Issue aims to present original articles, reviews, short communications, research notes, analyses, and case studies on topics relating to advances in sustainable polymer materials.

Dr. Cristina Cazan
Dr. Mihai Alin Pop
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. 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.

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

19 pages, 4182 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advancing Sustainability and Performance with Crushed Bottom Ash as Filler in Polymer-Modified Asphalt Concrete Mixtures

by Yeong-Min Kim, Kyungnam Kim and Tri Ho Minh Le

Polymers 2024, 16(12), 1683; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16121683 - 13 Jun 2024

Viewed by 104

Abstract

Amid the growing demand for sustainable pavement solutions and the need to incorporate recycled materials into construction practices, this study explored the viability of using crushed thermal power plant bottom ash as a filler in polymer-modified asphalt concrete mixtures. Conventional lime filler was replaced with bottom ash at varying levels (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%), and the resulting mixtures were evaluated using several performance tests. The optimal replacement level was determined to be 25%, based on the results of the indirect tensile strength (ITS) test. Comparisons between the control mixture and the 25% bottom ash-modified mixture were conducted using the dynamic modulus test, Cantabro test, Hamburg wheel tracking (HWT) test, and tensile strength ratio (TSR) test. The findings indicate that the 25% bottom ash-modified mixture demonstrated improved performance across multiple parameters. The HWT test showed enhanced rut durability, with a recorded depth of 7.56 mm compared to 8.9 mm for the control mixture. The Cantabro test results revealed lower weight loss percentages for the modified mixture, indicating better abrasion resistance. The dynamic modulus test indicated higher resilience and stiffness in both high- and low-frequency stages. The TSR test highlighted improved moisture resistance, with higher TSR values after 10 wet-drying cycles. These improvements are attributed to the fine particle size and beneficial chemical composition of bottom ash, which enhance the asphalt mixture’s density, binder-aggregate adhesion, and overall durability. The results suggest that incorporating 25% crushed bottom ash as a filler in polymer-modified asphalt concrete mixtures is a viable and sustainable approach to improving pavement performance and longevity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Polymeric Materials, 3rd Edition)

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