A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Processing and Engineering".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 May 2023) | Viewed by 11269
Dr. Roberto Avolio
Dr. Roberto Avolio
Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials of the National Research Council of Italy (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
Interests: multiphase polymeric materials; mechanochemical treatments; solid state NMR spectroscopy: recycling and sustainability; biodegradable polymers; composites and nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rachele Castaldo
Dr. Rachele Castaldo
National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Polymers Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB-CNR), Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
Interests: porous and microporous materials; nanostructured materials; environmental remediation; biobased polymers; recycling and sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
The chemical modification of polymers is a convenient and versatile way to tune their properties, in terms of thermomechanical response, chain arrangement, solubility, and miscibility, with other materials surface properties. Examples of chemical modifications are the introduction of new functional groups, the formation of copolymers, chain extension, and removal of crosslinks. Notably, chemical modification is the main route to tuning properties of natural polymeric materials, such as cellulose, starch, etc.
Mechanochemical treatments are emerging as versatile and green methods for the chemical and structural modification of polymers and organic materials: mechanical energy can, in fact, be exploited to efficiently promote chemical reactions (synthesis, functionalization, depolymerization, devulcanization of rubbers, grafting and copolymer formation in polymer mixtures), but also morphological/structural changes (amorphization, destructuration of complex multiphase materials, increase in surface area in porous structures, fine dispersion of nanoparticles in polymers). The reduced need for chemicals and solvents and the low-temperature operation further increase the attractiveness of mechanochemistry for the development of environmentally sustainable processing and production routes.
The possible applications of new chemical and mechanochemical methods for polymer modifications include sustainable synthetic routes for the production of chemicals; enhanced processing of complex polymers and mixtures, enabling recycling; conversion of natural products and byproducts into useful materials; and realization of micro/nanostructured materials.
Within this frame, we are pleased to launch a Special Issue on this topic, welcoming research papers and reviews focusing on chemical and mechanochemical modification strategies and processes for polymeric and organic materials, of both synthetic and natural origin. The aim is to define the state of the art of such methods and to provide a comprehensive reference basis.
Dr. Roberto Avolio
Dr. Rachele Castaldo
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.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
