Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.8
3.1
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
Polymers, Processing and Sustainability
materials-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Polymers, Processing and Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 1663

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonella Patti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAr), University of Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Interests: polymer-based composites; micro- and nanofillers; processability; rheological and mechanical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Stefano Acierno

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, Piazza Roma 21, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Interests: polymers; polymerization; gels; manufacturing engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, public and scientific awareness of environmental challenges has grown due to changes in the climate and their harmful effects on animal and plant species.

Petroleum-based polymers and manufacturing processes are associated with a number of health and environmental risks from chemical leaks and contaminants in the water and air, such as phthalates from plasticizers for softening effects; bisphenol A (BPA), which is used as a reagent in the production of polycarbonate, epoxy resins, coatings and adhesives; polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), which is used as a fire retardant; microplastics and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from plastic debris as a consequence of their chemical and physical degradation processes; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), during the extraction and transportation of raw materials, manufacturing and waste treatment; solid waste buildup in nature and its persistence in the ocean, coastal zones and terrestrial environments due to plastics not being easily degradable; and so on.

To achieve sustainability in industrial sectors and manufactured goods, materials and techniques should be designed with the goal of attaining energy and water efficiency, employing clean energy and renewable resources, incorporating recyclability and reuse principles, improving products’ degradability and minimizing emissions and the release of toxic and harmful species. Strategies for sustainable growth and low-environmental-impact design include optimizing the use of structural and functional materials and optimizing processes and technologies for production and development. These goals can be achieved by designing renewable and eco-friendly raw materials, lower-energy-content raw materials, recycled and/or recyclable materials and/or using alternative manufacturing procedures that reduce the number of production phases, utilize less energy and water, do not introduce dangerous species into the environment and lessen trash. Finally, controlling material performance and product quality is critical to determine the efficacy of manufacturing processes in meeting the standards and requirements of conventional plastics.

This Special Issue will collect original contributions, both research papers and reviews, demonstrating recent results and/or positive advances in the development of new sustainable materials, innovative technological designs and optimization methods targeted at lowering the environmental impact of polymer-based manufacturing processes while preserving product quality and material performance in light of applications in medicine, agriculture, coatings and paints, biotechnology, automotive, packaging, textiles, electronics and so on.

Dr. Antonella Patti
Dr. Stefano Acierno
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

  • renewable and/or eco-friendly raw materials
  • sustainability in polymer-based processes
  • waste reduction
  • improving product degradability
  • energy efficiency
  • reducing water consumption
  • recovery, recyclability and recycling
  • replacement of harmful substances
  • minimal or no emission of dangerous substances into the environment
  • performance of sustainable polymer-based systems

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 6045 KiB  
Article
Rheological Changes in Bio-Based Filaments Induced by Extrusion-Based 3D Printing Process
by Antonella Patti and Stefano Acierno
Materials 2024, 17(15), 3839; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17153839 - 2 Aug 2024
Viewed by 373
Abstract
In this work, the authors investigated the impact of extrusion-based printing process on the structural characteristics of bio-based resins through rheological measurements. Two commercially available filaments made from unfilled and wood-filled polylactide (PLA) polymers were considered. Three-dimensional specimens were prepared by printing these [...] Read more.
In this work, the authors investigated the impact of extrusion-based printing process on the structural characteristics of bio-based resins through rheological measurements. Two commercially available filaments made from unfilled and wood-filled polylactide (PLA) polymers were considered. Three-dimensional specimens were prepared by printing these filaments under various operating conditions, i.e., changing the extruder temperature and printing rate, and examined using time sweep tests. Specific cycle rheological testing was conducted on pelletized filaments to simulate temperature changes in the printing process. The rheological characteristics of unprocessed materials, in terms of storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli, were found to be slightly affected by temperature changes. For a pure polymer, the G′ slope at a low frequency decreased over time, showing that the polymer chains evolved from a higher to a lower molecular weight. For wood-filled materials, the G′ slope rose over the testing time, emphasizing the formation of a percolated network of structured filler within the matrix. On the other side, the rheological parameters of both materials were strongly impacted by the printing extrusion and the related conditions. At lower nozzle temperatures (200 °C), by decreasing the printing speed, the G′ and G″ curves became increasingly different with respect to unprocessed resin; whereas at higher nozzle temperatures (220 °C), the influence of the printing speed was insignificant, and all curves (albeit distant from those of unprocessed matrix) mainly overlapped. Considerations on degradation kinetics of both materials during the printing process were also provided by fitting experimental data of complex viscosity with linear correlation over time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Processing and Sustainability)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 6984 KiB  
Article
Development of PBS/Nano Composite PHB-Based Multilayer Blown Films with Enhanced Properties for Food Packaging Applications
by Francesco Palmieri, Joseph Nii Ayi Tagoe and Luciano Di Maio
Materials 2024, 17(12), 2894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17122894 - 13 Jun 2024
Viewed by 527
Abstract
Biobased and biodegradable plastics have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional plastics offering the potential to reduce environmental impacts while promoting sustainability. This study focuses on the production of multilayer blown films with enhanced functional properties suitable for food packaging applications. Films were [...] Read more.
Biobased and biodegradable plastics have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional plastics offering the potential to reduce environmental impacts while promoting sustainability. This study focuses on the production of multilayer blown films with enhanced functional properties suitable for food packaging applications. Films were developed through co-extrusion in a three-layer film configuration, with Polybutylene Succinate (PBS) and Polybutylene Succinate Adipate (PBSA) as the external and internal layers, respectively. The functional layer consisted of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) enhanced with nanoclays Cloisite® 30B at varying weight ratios. Films were also processed by manipulating the extruder screw speed of the functional layer to investigate its impact on the functional properties. Rheology, mechanical strength, and barrier performance were characterised to establish correlations between processing conditions and functional layer blends (Cloisite® 30B/PHB) on the properties of the resultant films. Rheological test results indicated that the system with 5% Cloisite® had the best polymer/nanofiller matrix dispersion. Mechanical and permeability tests showed that by varying the process conditions (the alteration of the thickness of the functionalized layer) resulted in an improvement in mechanical and barrier properties. Furthermore, the addition of the nanofiller resulted in a stiffening of the film with a subsequent decrease in permeability to oxygen and water vapour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Processing and Sustainability)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

30 pages, 3102 KiB  
Review
Current Progress in Research into Environmentally Friendly Rigid Polyurethane Foams
by Sylwia Makowska, Dawid Szymborski, Natalia Sienkiewicz and Agnė Kairytė
Materials 2024, 17(16), 3971; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17163971 (registering DOI) - 9 Aug 2024
Viewed by 257
Abstract
Polyurethane foams are materials characterized by low density and thermal conductivity and can therefore be used as thermal insulation materials. They are synthesized from toxic and environmentally unfriendly petrochemicals called isocyanates and polyols, which react with each other to form a urethane group [...] Read more.
Polyurethane foams are materials characterized by low density and thermal conductivity and can therefore be used as thermal insulation materials. They are synthesized from toxic and environmentally unfriendly petrochemicals called isocyanates and polyols, which react with each other to form a urethane group via the displacement of the movable hydrogen atom of the −OH group of the alcohol to the nitrogen atom of the isocyanate group. The following work describes the synthesis of polyurethane foams, focusing on using environmentally friendly materials, such as polyols derived from plant sources or modifiers, to strengthen the foam interface derived from plant precipitation containing cellulose derived from paper waste. The polyurethane foam industry is looking for new sources of materials to replace the currently used petrochemical products. The solutions described are proving to be an innovative and promising area capable of changing the face of current PU foam synthesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers, Processing and Sustainability)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop