Sustainable Polymers for Papermaking and Packaging
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 16
Special Issue Editors
Interests: polymer synthesis; polymer modification; copolymerization; polymer characterization; solid-state properties in polymers; polymer thermal properties; polymer crystallization kinetics; mechanical characterization; bio-based monomers; biopolymers; biomaterials; polymer nanostructuring; nanocomposites; gas barrier properties; polymer compostability; biopolymers for tissue engineering; polymeric devices for controlled drug delivery; biodegradation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: polyesters; polymer synthesis; chemical modification; thermal properties; mechanical properties; barrier properties; biodegradability; packaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue focuses on the development and study of new polymeric materials, produced in an environmentally, economically, and socially responsible manner, for papermaking and packaging applications, aiming to protect natural resources and minimize environmental impact.
Plastics, mainly composed of polymers, are primarily used in packaging thanks to their cost-effectiveness, thermal and chemical stability, outstanding barrier, and mechanical response and lightness. Most importantly, their properties are ad hoc-tunable according to the envisioned application. In the field of sustainable polymers for packaging, furan dicarboxylic acid-based aromatic polyesters clearly occupy a prominent place, together with aliphatic polymers such as polylactic acid and poly(butylene succinate) and their copolymeric systems.
Paper, widely used in both the papermaking and packaging industries, is a renewable, biodegradable material with a positive public perception that is considered safe for wildlife. In packaging, paper is reusable and recyclable—paper fibers can be reused up to five to seven times to make new products. It is also lightweight, compact, and easily printable with brand logos. Nevertheless, paper alone offers poor barrier properties to gases, liquids, light, and microbes, which can shorten the shelf life of food stored in paper packaging. Its mechanical properties also leave room for improvement. Moreover, when disposed of in landfills, paper can occupy more space than plastics. In papermaking, cellulose can be chemically modified to enhance mechanical resistance and water and oil impermeability. Chemical modification can also help to recycle waste paper. Alternatively, polymers can be used as additives or coatings to improve paper strength, printability, and barrier performance, thereby enhancing the overall quality and functionality of paper products.
In this scenario, polymers have great potential for the realization of new sustainable monomaterial packaging, satisfying all the required properties. Moreover, they can also be combined with paper for the production of polymer/paper packaging that overcomes paper’s main drawbacks while maintaining its desirable characteristics. As such, research articles or reviews covering any aspect of this exciting and rapidly evolving field are encouraged for submission to this Special Issue.
Dr. Michelina Soccio
Dr. Giulia Guidotti
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.
Keywords
- sustainable polymers
- bio-based polymers
- polymer recycling
- polymer compostability
- paper modification
- paper coating
- polymer/paper
- plastic/paper
- mechanical properties
- barrier properties
- packaging design
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