Recent Advances in Polymer-Based Carbon Fibers

Dear Colleagues, 

This Special Issue is devoted to highlighting the exceptional properties of carbon fibers (CFs), such as high tensile strength, low thermal expansion, electrical conductivity, durability, chemical resistance, radiolucency, ultra-violent resistance, and light weight. The industry of carbon fibers, involving the aerospace, military, construction, coating, film, microelectronics, energy storage, biotechnology, and sporting goods sectors, has grown continuously. The high production cost of carbon fiber (CF), the lack of high-speed fabrication techniques, difficult customization, and the limitations at the design phase limit the use of these fibers in various applications, including CF composite-based wearable sensors. Even though CF is durable, it is also brittle, so when it breaks, it often breaks devastatingly. Using polymer blending, polymer-based CFs, CF-reinforced composites, or converting synthetic or degradable fibers into CFs could overcome these limitations. 

Thus, this Special Issue welcomes contributions that utilize unconventional methods of optimising advanced polymer-based carbon fibers, with subsequent improvements in cost, structure and properties. These improvements might involve developing new precursor materials and production techniques for CFs, developing advanced polymer-based CFs with advanced functional properties, polymer blending and using composites with CFs, or using high-performance polymer-based CFs, degradable polymer–CF composites, or CF-based hybrid composites for any of the above-mentioned applications. 

We look forward to receiving your contributions

Dr. Adeela Hanif
Dr. Muhammad Ayyoob
Dr. Le Thai Duy
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.