Polymers

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Prof. Dr. Chih-Wei Chiu

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: synthesis of polymeric surfactants/dispersants; organic/inorganic nanohybrids; polymer nanocomposites; synthesis of multifunctional nanomaterials and their applications; graphene-based nanohybrids: synthesis; dispersion; applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jia-Wun Li

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: synthesis of polymeric surfactants/dispersants; synthesis of polyurethane; polymer nanocomposites; design of polymer structure; membrane separation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nano-scale inorganic particles with large specific surface areas can impart various properties to polymer nanocomposites, such as improved thermal stability, mechanical properties, electrical properties, magnetic properties, and optoelectronic properties. With the addition of inorganic nanoparticles, their properties are essentially passed on to the polymers. These nanomaterials include zero-dimensional (0D) nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles, quantum dots, nano-scale metals, and nano-scale ceramic particles; one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials, such as nanorods and nanotubes; and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, such as sheet or layered 2D materials and graphene nanosheets. Each of these nanomaterials can be well-dispersed in the polymer matrix through chemical surface modification and physical blending. As the homogeneous hybrid of the inorganic particles in the polymer matrix determines whether the properties of the polymer nanocomposite material are excellent, scientists are researching the interface behavior between the nanoparticles and polymer matrix to improve the dispersion uniformity of composite materials. At present, polymer nanocomposites are used in several applications, including thin-film separators, drug carriers, biological stents, fuel cells, and solar cells. They are also applied in wearable device sensors, flexible sensing substrates, energy harvesting devices, pressure sensors, and vehicle-mounted devices owing to the sensing properties of nanocomposites. This Special Issue will collect innovative original research and review papers. It is hoped that this Special Issue can promote academic research exchanges and establish the high potential of this emerging field.

The topics of the Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

Polymer nanocomposites;
Composite processing and manufacturing;
Biomedical materials;
Green energy;
Coating materials;
Membrane separation processes;
Filtration and separation;
Carbon allotropes;
Magnetic materials;
Piezoelectric materials;
Quantum dots;
Sensors;
Barrier materials;
Flexible hybrid electronics;
Superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic hybrid materials;
Energy storage materials.

Prof. Dr. Chih-Wei Chiu
Dr. Jia-Wun Li
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 Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2205 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Structure–Property Relationships in PVDF/SrTiO₃/CNT Nanocomposites for Optoelectronic and Solar Cell Applications

by Taha Abdel Mohaymen Taha, Sultan Saud Alanazi, Karam S. El-Nasser, Alhulw H. Alshammari and Ali Ismael

Polymers 2024, 16(6), 736; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16060736 - 7 Mar 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 685

Abstract

The optical properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer nanocomposite films incorporating SrTiO₃/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nanofillers are investigated. PVDF/SrTiO₃/CNTs films were prepared by the solution casting technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses confirmed the incorporation of SrTiO₃/CNTs into the PVDF matrix. The addition of nanofillers influenced the crystalline structure, morphology, and optical properties of the films. SEM images showed spherulite morphology, which is a spherical aggregate of crystalline polymer chains. The addition of a SrTiO₃/CNTs nanofiller modified the polymer’s electronic structure, causing a variation in the energy gap. The addition of SrTiO₃/CNTs at 0.1 wt% increased the band gap, refractive index, and nonlinear optical properties of the PVDF films. These improvements indicate the potential of these nanocomposite films in optoelectronic applications such as solar cells, image sensors, and organic light-emitting diodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Multifunctional Polymer-Based Nanocomposites II)

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12 pages, 5806 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocurable Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Nanocomposite for the 3D Printing of Flexible Capacitive Pressure Sensors

by Jia-Wun Li, Ho-Fu Chen, Peng-Han Huang, Chung-Feng Jeffrey Kuo, Chih-Chia Cheng and Chih-Wei Chiu

Polymers 2023, 15(24), 4706; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15244706 - 14 Dec 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 832

Abstract

A photocurable resin/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite was fabricated from aligned CNTs in an acrylic matrix. The conductivity of the nanocomposite increased rapidly and then stabilized when the CNT content was increased up to and beyond the percolation threshold. Various structures were created using a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer. Various polymeric dispersants (SMA-amide) were designed and synthesized to improve the CNT dispersion and prevent aggregation. The benzene rings and lone electron pairs on the dispersant interacted with aromatic groups on the CNTs, causing the former to wrap around the latter. This created steric hindrance, thereby stabilizing and dispersing the CNTs in the solvent. CNT/polymer nanocomposites were created by combining the dispersant, CNTs, and a photocurable resin. The CNT content of the nanocomposite and the 3D printing parameters were tuned to optimize the conductivity and printing quality. A touch-based human interface device (HID) that utilizes the intrinsic conductivity of the nanocomposite and reliably detects touch signals was fabricated, enabling the free design of sensors of various styles and shapes using a low-cost 3D printer. The production of sensors without complex circuitry was achieved, enabling novel innovations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Multifunctional Polymer-Based Nanocomposites II)

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