Fabrication, Characteristics and Applications of Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer nanocomposite materials are a type of composite material that physically or covalently incorporate nanosized particles or nanostructures into a matrix of cross-linked polymer networks, which have been developed as a popular means for the creation of novel materials with diverse functionality. Flexible macromolecular chains and rigid nanofillers can be considered as mortar and bricks. Flexible macromolecular chains as mortar can connect, host, and integrate the bricks to maintain structural integrity. Moreover, the introduced rigid nanofillers as bricks render new functionalities to the final polymer composites. The incorporation of nanomaterials into polymer matrices has been demonstrated to be able to render new functionalities to composites and produce superior physicochemical properties absent in individual components, offering an efficient route to enhance the physicochemical properties and thus expand the application scopes of both polymer materials and nanomaterials. This Special Issue will provide an overview of the most recent advances in the field of polymer nanocomposites for various applications. Selected contributions on advances in the design, preparation, functionalization, and applications of polymer nanocomposites will be presented. Contributions to this Special Issue in the form of original research or review articles are welcome. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Polymer nanocomposites;
2. Multifunctional polymer materials;
3. Nanoscale fillers;
4. Nanofibers and nanotubes;
5. Nanocomposite hydrogels;
6. Polymer–nanofiller interface interactions;
7. Thermal stability and flame retardancy;
8. Electrical conductivity;
9. The characterization of polymer nanocomposites;
10. Polymer nanocomposites for diagnosis, treatment, and sensors;
11. Polymer nanocomposites for wearable devices;
12. Polymer nanocomposites for oil and gas exploitation.

Dr. Jianhua Zhang
Guest Editor

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• polymer nanocomposites
• nanofiller
• manufacturing processes
• characterization
• mechanical properties
• physicochemical properties