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Advances in Functional Polymers and Composite for 3D Manufacturing, Insulations and Energy Storage

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymeric Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2025 | Viewed by 4779

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Beata Anwajler

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Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: traffic engineering; composites; prototyping; food preservation; material characterization; 3D printing; food production; materials; nanomaterials; porous Materials
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Prof. Dr. Anna Witek-Krowiak

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Department of Advanced Material Technologies, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: encapsulation; biopolymers; hydrogel; solid waste management; sorption; fertilizers; waste; waste management; wastewater treatment; environment;
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Dr. Piotr Szulc

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Department of Energy Conversion Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27 St., 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: energy storage; thermal engineering; renewable energy technologies; heat exchangers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A new Special Issue entitled Advances in Functional Polymers and Composites for 3D Manufacturing, Insulation and Energy Storage is dedicated to functional polymers and composites in 3D printing, insulation and energy storage for producing novel materials, structures and devices. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has attracted increasing attention in recent years and is recognised worldwide as one of the most promising and revolutionary manufacturing technologies. Although the field is growing rapidly due to significant technological advances, research into polymers and composites remains at the heart of the area and is crucial to the future development of 3D manufacturing. Smart polymers and nanocomposites, which respond to external stimuli by changing their properties and structure, are an essential group of materials that hold great promise for manufacturing sensors, actuators, robots, insulation and energy storage devices. In addition, there is a growing interest in studying functional materials, e.g., of biological origin, to meet the ever-increasing demand for their production. In this Special Issue, we aim to review the latest advances in the science and engineering of functional polymers and composites, which have attracted increasing attention due to their potential technological applications. The main objective is to link performance and functionality to the fundamental properties, chemistry and physics of the materials, as well as to the characteristics of the process, to provide a multidisciplinary view and a deeper understanding of the topic.

This Special Issue aims to offer an interdisciplinary forum to discuss the latest research developments in materials and structures and provide a vision for future research.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Beata Anwajler
Prof. Dr. Anna Witek-Krowiak
Dr. Piotr Szulc
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.

Keywords

3D printing
sustainable materials
metamaterial
biocomposite
lattice structures
polymer composite
biopolymer
energy storage
insulations

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Research

20 pages, 13004 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Composite Nanoarchitectonics of Electrospun Piezoelectric PVDF/AgNPs for Biomedical Applications, Including Breast Cancer Treatment

by Strahinja Milenković, Katarina Virijević, Fatima Živić, Ivana Radojević and Nenad Grujović

Materials 2024, 17(15), 3872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153872 - 5 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1132

Abstract

This study focused on preparing composite nanomats by incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers through the electrospinning process. A short review of piezoelectric PVDF-related research is presented. PVDF is known for its biocompatibility and piezoelectric properties. Since electrical signals in biological tissues have been shown to be relevant for therapeutic applications, the influence of the addition of AgNPs to PVDF on its piezoelectricity is studied, due to the ability of AgNPs to increase the piezoelectric signal, along with providing antibacterial properties. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the biological activity of composites was examined using a cytotoxicity assay and an assessment of the antibacterial activity. The obtained results show that the incorporation of AgNPs into PVDF nanofibers further enhances the piezoelectricity (crystalline β-phase fraction), already improved by the electrospinning process, compared to solution-casted samples, but only with a AgNPs/PVDF concentration of up to 0.3%; a further increase in the nanoparticles led to a β-phase reduction. The cytotoxicity assay showed a promising effect of PVDF/AgNPs nanofibers on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, following the non-toxicity displayed in regard to the healthy MRC-5 cell line. The antibacterial effect of PVDF/AgNPs nanofibers showed promising antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, as a result of the Ag content. The anticancer activity, combined with the electrical properties of nanofibers, presents new possibilities for smart, multifunctional materials for cancer treatment development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Polymers and Composite for 3D Manufacturing, Insulations and Energy Storage)

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20 pages, 7063 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Extrusion Screw Speed and CNT Concentration on the Mechanical and EMI Properties of PC/ABS Based Nanocomposites

by Caolan Jameson, Declan M. Devine, Gavin Keane and Noel M. Gately

Materials 2024, 17(11), 2625; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17112625 - 29 May 2024

Viewed by 762

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of extrusion screw speed and carbon nanotube (CNT) concentration on the thermal, mechanical, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) properties of Polycarbonate (PC)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and its polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) by means of design of experiments (DoE) approach. A masterbatch method was employed to obtain the best dispersion of the CNTs throughout the polymer matrix. This study evaluates the thermo-mechanical characterisation of the polymers and PNCs at varying screw speeds to assess filler matrix bonding. The results highlight that CNT concentration has a significant effect on all mechanical properties, while screw speed only affects the Charpy impact strength and flexural properties of the samples. Compounding at 200 rpm has the best flexural and tensile strength, which is attributed to the best filler matrix bonding (highest storage modulus) of the PNCs. The best EMI SE results were obtained at 10 wt.% CNTs. This research contributes valuable insights into the effect of CNT concentration and extrusion screw speed on the mechanical, thermal and EMI SE properties of PC/ABS and its PNCs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Polymers and Composite for 3D Manufacturing, Insulations and Energy Storage)

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19 pages, 6604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Potential of 3D Printing in Thermal Insulating Composite Materials—Experimental Determination of the Impact of the Geometry on Thermal Resistance

by Beata Anwajler, Jerzy Szołomicki, Paweł Noszczyk and Michał Baryś

Materials 2024, 17(5), 1202; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17051202 - 5 Mar 2024

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1790

Abstract

This paper focuses on the analysis of the thermal properties of prototype insulation structures produced using SLS and SLA additive technologies. There is a noticeable lack of analysis in the scientific literature regarding the geometry of 3D-printed structures in terms of their thermal properties. The aim of this paper was to analyze printed samples of prototype thermal insulation composite structures and their potential for use in building applications. The research material consisted of closed and open cell foams of varying structural complexity. Increasing the complexity of the composite core structure resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the value of the thermal conductivity coefficient λ and the heat transfer coefficient U, and an increase in the thermal resistance Rc. The experimental results showed that the geometric structure of the air voids in the material is a key factor in regulating heat transfer. The control of porosity in materials produced by additive technology can be an effective tool for designing structures with high insulation efficiency. The best performance of the prototype materials produced by the SLS method was a three-layer cellular composite with a gyroid core structure. It was also shown that the four-layer gyroid structure panels with an outer layer of metallized polyethylene film produced using 3D SLA printing had the best thermal insulation. As a result, the analysis confirmed the possibility of producing energy-efficient insulation materials using 3D printing. These materials can be used successfully in construction and other industries. Further research will significantly improve the quality, accuracy, and speed of printing insulation materials, reduce the negative impact on the natural environment, and develop intelligent adaptive solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Functional Polymers and Composite for 3D Manufacturing, Insulations and Energy Storage)

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