Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science

Manufacturing of Sustainable Composites

Composites are central to lightweight design in aerospace, automotive, wind energy, and infrastructure, yet they still rely on virgin, petroleum-derived constituents and remain difficult to manage at end of life. Three routes are converging on this problem: reuse of carbon fibers recovered from scrap and decommissioned structures, self-healing polymers that restore damage and extend service life, and biocomposites based on natural fibers and bio-derived matrices. This Article Collection brings together experimental, computational, and manufacturing-oriented research across all three.

Demand for composites continues to grow while pressure to reduce their environmental footprint intensifies, driven by decarbonization targets, tightening end-of-life regulation, and the rising volume of retired composite structures. Sustainable constituents are therefore expected to move beyond low-value filler applications and into load-bearing use. That transition is still constrained on several fronts: processing routes are not yet mature or scalable, properties are more variable and less predictable than for virgin materials, characterization and design data are fragmented across studies, and cost, supply, and qualification pathways remain uncertain. Addressing these constraints requires progress in manufacturing science, mechanical characterization, and modeling to be developed together rather than in isolation. Bringing this work into a single Collection makes the connections visible and accelerates the move from laboratory demonstration to industrial practice.

The Collection spans three subject areas and their intersections: recycled carbon fibers, including recovery routes and the reuse of recovered fibers in structural forms; composites incorporating self-healing polymers, including healing chemistries and their integration with conventional processing; and biocomposites based on natural fibers and bio-derived or recyclable matrices. Across all three, we welcome work on processing methods, mechanical and interfacial properties, and modeling, from constituent behavior through to component performance. Studies addressing durability, circularity, or the link between manufacturing conditions and resulting properties are particularly encouraged. Original research articles and review articles are both welcome, in line with the journal's accepted article types.

Keywords: recycled carbon fiber; self-healing polymer composites; biocomposites; composite processing; mechanical characterization and modeling

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is [21 June 2027].

Please contact Agnes Zhou at Agnes.Zhou@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select "Manufacturing of Sustainable Composites" from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Naruki Ichihara received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 2024. He served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Nihon University in 2025, and since 2026 has been an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Tokyo.

Ryo Higuchi received his Ph.D. from Tohoku University in 2017. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the same year and has been an Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Tokyo since 2020.