Materials and Manufacturing Processes

With the progress of the nanotechnology and production methods, composite materials and polymeric materials are becoming lighter, cheaper, more durable, and more versatile. At present, great progress has been made in design, preparation, and characterization of composite materials and polymeric materials, making them smarter and versatile. By creating new properties using suitable fillers and matrix, the functional composites and polymeric materials can meet the most difficult standards of users, especially in high-tech industries. Advanced composites and polymeric materials reinforced by high-performance carbon fibers and nanofillers are popular in the automotive and aerospace industries thanks to their significant advantages, such as high specific strength to weight ratio and noncorrosion properties. In addition to the improvement of the mechanical performance, composite materials and polymeric materials today are designed to provide new functions dealing with antibacterial, self-cleaning, self-healing, super-hard, solar reflective for desired end-used applications. On the other hand, composite materials and polymeric materials can contribute to reduce environmental issues by providing renewable energy technologies in conjunction with multifunctional, lightweight energy storage systems with high performance and noncorrosive properties. They are also used to prepare a new generation of batteries and directly contribute to H2 production or CO2 reduction in fuels and chemicals.This Special Issue aims to collect articles reporting on recent developments dealing with preparative methods, design, properties, structure, characterization methods, as well as promising applications of multifunctional composites and polymeric materials. It covers potential applications in various areas, such as anticorrosion, photocatalyst, absorbers, superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, antifouling/antibacterial, renewable energy, energy storage systems, construction, and electronics.