Published in December 2009, the double special issue of Plastics, Rubber and Composites: Macromolecular Engineering (Vol. 38, No. 9–10) is formed of a review and 13 peer-reviewed papers based on selected presentations at the 20th SICOMP conference on Manufacturing and Design of Composites. The two day conference organised by Swerea SICOMP, the Swedish Composites Institute, was held in Sweden on 8 – 9 June 2009.

The aim of the conference, reflected in the special issue, was to cover the state-of-the art in composites manufacturing and design. Topics included graphite composites, nano-composites, bio-composites, smart composites, recycling and sustainable manufacture. The meeting was attended by over 120 international participants, from industry and academia and included keynote and plenary presentations from well-known authorities in the composites field.

The PRC:ME special issue features a cross-section of papers presented at the meeting selected by guest editors, Lars Liljienfeldt (Swerea SICOMP) and Geoff Gibson (University of Newcastle). Papers on recycling and reuse of thermoplastic composites and polypropylene reflect a growing desire to extend the life cycle of materials. Other papers, including ‘Novel bio-nanocomposites: processing, properties and potential applications’ by Oksman et al. examine the processing, characterisation and potential applications of composites.

Lars Liljienfeldt and Geoff Gibson’s editorial is available to view online for free and gives a full list of contents for the special issue.

Edited by Professor Phil Coates of Bradford University, UK, PRC:ME publishes original research on the macromolecular engineering of polymeric and related materials and polymer matrix composites, with a strong focus on the manipulation of structure at the molecular scale to control properties and fitness for purpose of the final component. For further information, including how to submit to the journal, visit the journal homepage. For the latest content, sign up for journal TOC alerts.

Maney Publishing is an independent publishing company specialising in academic journals in materials science and engineering, the humanities, and health science. Based in the UK and USA, Maney is the official publisher for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).

IOM3 members have free online access to the Institute’s refereed journals via Ingenta. See http://www.iom3.org/content/journal-access for further information. Please note that you must be logged in to this site in order to access journal content.

Further information

Contact Naomi Asantewa-Sechereh, Maney Publishing, tel: +44 (0)207 451 7308.