Rheology of Polymers and Polymer Composites

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2024) | Viewed by 1013

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Guest Editor
Polymer Institute of Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: biodegradable polymers and composites; rheology; surface modification of (nano)particles; biodegradation and photodegradation; organic-inorganic hybrid materials; self-healing polymeric materials; multiphase polymeric systems; nanocomposites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will cover the latest developments in the field of rheology and advanced polymer materials, and will highlight current hot research topics focusing on the rheological study of advanced polymers and their composites (e.g., self-healing and shape-memory materials). It will demonstrate that the field of “Rheology of Polymers and Polymer Nanocomposites” is still gaining increased attention. This Special Issue will provide cutting-edge research results and the latest developments in the field of material science and engineering, smart polymers with tailor-made properties, novel advanced biopolymers with unique properties, and their innovative processing and characterization via rheological measurements. The novel class of materials based on biopolymers and their composites filled with inorganic/organic functionalized fillers, namely, bio-based hybrids, is also covered by the Issue’s scope. These types of hybrid materials have great potential for application in electronics, food packaging, filtration, sensors, photo-actuators and more. In particular, due to their unique properties (e.g., biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity, functional variability), bio-based nanocomposites show great potential for applications in tissue engineering and as drug carriers.

Ideally, contributions should focus on fundamental and experimental results in a thematic range that comprises the processing and characterization of advanced polymer-based materials as well as novel multiphase polymeric systems and nanocomposites. This Special Issue will compile the current trends/topics in materials-based macromolecular research and highlight the increasing range of applications. Both original papers and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Katarina Mosnackova
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-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

  • self-healing polymers rheology
  • organic–inorganic hybrid materials
  • natural polymers and biopolymers
  • vitrimers
  • polymer nanocomposites
  • shape-memory materials
  • biocomposites

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 4349 KiB  
Article
Study on the Influence of Runner and Overflow Area Design on Flow–Fiber Coupling in a Multi-Cavity System
by Fang-Lin Hsieh, Chuan-Tsen Chen, Shyh-Shin Hwang, Sheng-Jye Hwang, Po-Wei Huang, Hsin-Shu Peng, Ming-Yuan Jien and Chao-Tsai Huang
Polymers 2024, 16(9), 1279; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16091279 - 2 May 2024
Viewed by 592
Abstract
Fiber-reinforced composites (FRPs) are characterized by their lightweight nature and superior mechanical characteristics, rendering them extensively utilized across various sectors such as aerospace and automotive industries. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms governing the interaction between the fibers present in FRPs and the polymer melt [...] Read more.
Fiber-reinforced composites (FRPs) are characterized by their lightweight nature and superior mechanical characteristics, rendering them extensively utilized across various sectors such as aerospace and automotive industries. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms governing the interaction between the fibers present in FRPs and the polymer melt during industrial processing, particularly the manipulation of the flow–fiber coupling effect, remain incompletely elucidated. Hence, this study introduces a geometrically symmetrical 1 × 4 multi-cavity mold system, where each cavity conforms to the ASTM D638 Type V standard specimen. The research utilizes theoretical simulation analysis and experimental validation to investigate the influence of runner and overflow design on the flow–fiber coupling effect. The findings indicate that the polymer melt, directed by a geometrically symmetrical runner, results in consistent fiber orientation within each mold cavity. Furthermore, in the context of simulation analysis, the inclusion of the flow–fiber coupling effect within the system results in elevated sprue pressure levels and an expanded core layer region in comparison to systems lacking this coupling effect. This observation aligns well with the existing literature on the subject. Moreover, analysis of fiber orientation in different flow field areas reveals that the addition of an overflow area alters the flow field, leading to a significant delay in the flow–fiber coupling effect. To demonstrate the impact of overflow area design on the flow–fiber effect, the integration of fiber orientation distribution analysis highlights a transformation in fiber arrangement from the flow direction to cross-flow and thickness directions near the end-of-fill region in the injected part. Additionally, examination of the geometric dimensions of the injected part reveals asymmetrical geometric shrinkage between upstream and downstream areas in the end-of-fill region, consistent with microscopic fiber orientation changes influenced by the delayed flow–fiber coupling effect guided by the overflow area. In brief, the introduction of the overflow area extends the duration in which the polymer melt exerts control in the flow direction, consequently prolonging the period in which the fiber orientation governs in the flow direction (A11). This leads to the impact of fiber orientation on the flow of the polymer melt, with the flow reciprocally affecting the fibers. Subsequently, the interaction between these two elements persists until a state of equilibrium is achieved, known as the flow–fiber coupling effect, which is delayed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rheology of Polymers and Polymer Composites)
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