Nanomaterials are materials which are characterized by an ultrafine grain size (<50 nm) or by a dimensionality limited to 50 nm. Nanomaterials can be created at variable dimensions, that is, zero (atomic clusters, filaments, and cluster assemblies), one (multilayer), two (ultrafine-grained overlayers or buried layers), and three (nanophase materials consisting of equiaxed nanosized grains). These materials have created a high interest in the recent years by virtue of their unusual mechanical, electrical, optical, thermal, and magnetic properties. A major goal of material science is to produce hierarchical materials that are ordered on all length scales, from the molecular (1–100 Å) via the nano- (10–100 nm) to the meso- (1–100 mm) scales. In these materials, the larger-scale properties can be controlled by choosing the appropriate molecular characteristics.

“Nanocomposites” are a special class of materials originating from suitable combinations of two or more nanoparticles or nanosized objects in some suitable technique, resulting in materials having unique physical properties and wide application potential in diverse areas that can be formed into a useful object, which can be subsequently used. Novel properties of nanocomposites can be derived from the successful combination of the individual characteristics of parent constituents into a single material. To exploit the full potential of the technological applications of the nanomaterials, it is thus extremely important to endow them with good processability. Nanocomposites are either prepared in a host matrix of inorganic materials (glass, porous ceramics, etc.) or by using conventional polymers as one component of the nanocomposites. However, polymeric nanocomposites are intimate combinations of one or more inorganic materials with a polymer so that unique properties of the former can be mixed with the existing qualities of the polymer to result in a totally new material suitable for novel applications.

In this special issue, we invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that encourage the understanding of synthesis of nanomaterials and their potential effect on properties of polymeric nanocomposites. Considering the importance of this issue there is no rigid boundary. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Novel method of nanomaterials synthesis
• Polymer nanocomposites
• Polymer processing and rheology
• Polymer blends and alloy
• Polymer degradation and stability
• Smart nanocomposites for defense applications

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijps/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/ijps/nmnc/ according to the following timetable: