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Functional polymer composite materials for additive layer manufacturing

Edited by Francesca Nanni (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy), Jean-Francois Gerard (Université de Lyon / INSA Lyon / CNRS UMR 5223, France) and  Brigitte Voit (Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Dresden, Germany)

In the frame of the current industrial revolution, the role of functional materials processed by additive layer manufacturing (ALM) is essential, aiming to the realization of smart products. Polymers and their composites are the best candidates to realize functional materials due to their intrinsic versatility and processability via ALM to obtain components with innovative designs. Such designs can be applied in aerospace, automotive, civil and mechanical engineering, medical and biotechnology industries, in microsystems, i.e. in various aspects of Industry 4.0, but also for individualized sports and consumer goods. This collection in Functional Composite Materials focuses on recent progress in functional polymeric materials ALM-related research. The scope includes theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigations from basic principles to practical applications.

New articles will be added to the collection as they are published.


  1. Additive manufacturing techniques established a new paradigm in the manufacture of composite materials providing a simple solution to build complex, custom designed shapes. In the biomedical field, 3D printing...

    Authors: Magda Silva, Isabel S. Pinho, José A. Covas, Natália M. Alves and Maria C. Paiva
    Citation: Functional Composite Materials 2021 2:8
    Content type: Review Published on:

  2. The aim of this work is to characterize the moisture-dependent actuation behavior of bioinspired and additively manufactured hygromorphs based by following deductive and inductive design approaches. Fused Fila...

    Authors: Matthias Langhansl, Jörg Dörrstein, Peter Hornberger and Cordt Zollfrank
    Citation: Functional Composite Materials 2021 2:4
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of material type (matrix and reinforcement) and process parameters, on the mechanical properties of 3D Printed long-fibre reinforced polymer composites manufact...

    Authors: Francis Dantas, Kevin Couling and Gregory J. Gibbons
    Citation: Functional Composite Materials 2020 1:7
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Permanent Rare Earth magnets are becoming more and more important in efficient motors and generators with high energy density. Among them NdFeB magnets are the most employed, with NdFeB having higher remanence...

    Authors: L. Pigliaru, M. Rinaldi, L. Ciccacci, A. Norman, T. Rohr, T. Ghidini and F. Nanni
    Citation: Functional Composite Materials 2020 1:4
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Composites of polymers and the graphene family of 2D materials continue to attract great interest due their potential to dissipate heat, thus extending the in-service life of electronic and other devices. Such...

    Authors: Valentina Guerra, Chaoying Wan and Tony McNally
    Citation: Functional Composite Materials 2020 1:3
    Content type: Review Published on: