Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial work
Dear Colleagues, Reducing food loss and ensuring food safety for consumption, free from chemical and microbial contamination, is an emerging societal challenge for policymakers and companies. Food packaging has a crucial role in this matter and numerous materials from renewable natural biopolymers have been exploited to develop edible and biodegradable packaging. Intrinsic drawbacks of natural polymer-based packaging materials such as poor mechanical, thermal and barrier properties can be enhanced through the use of nanotechnology. Polymer nanocomposites, especially biopolymers incorporating organic or inorganic nanofillers have shown markedly improved packaging properties due to large surface area and significant aspect ratios of nanofillers. This Special Issue aims to cover a broad range of subjects, from biopolymers/biomaterials engineering and nanomaterials synthesis to the design and characterization of biodegradable packaging and technologies with nanomaterial integration. The format of welcomed articles includes full papers, communications, and reviews. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: • Eco-efficiency low impact processes and materials (environmentally friendly, environmentally sustainable, waste-based, and bio-based) • Novel processing technologies/fabrication methods of biopolymer/nanofillers composites • Surface modification of biopolymers and nanofillers • Design of innovative nano-hybrid active fillers • Physical-chemical and structural characterization of nanostructured films and nanofillers • Properties of bionanocomposites (mechanical, thermal, barrier, chemical, electrical, optical, etc.) • Structure–property relationships in biopolymer nanocomposites • Novel packaging functionalities (cooking, sterilization, etc.) • Design of electrical conductive bionanocomposites • Engineering nanomaterials-based biosensors • Shortcomings and undesired effects of nanofiller-reinforced biopolymer materials • Bionanocomposites toxicological risks and shelf life studies • Up-Scaling fabrication challenges for bionanocomposite materials Dr. Oscar Ramos Prof. António Vicente Guest Editors