Polymers of the Future

Dear Colleagues,

The 100 year anniversary of the renowned Hermann Staudinger’s discovery of the chain structure of polymers was recently celebrated, drawing attention to the ever-growing importance of this phenomenon—one that was not the beginning of polymers as such, but rather paved the way to their study. The key conclusion of this process spanning more than 100 years is the realization that life on Earth is polymeric, and the most important planetary processes (e.g., the circular flow of carbon and oxygen) happens primarily using polymeric matter.

On such a grand scale, the achievements of polymer science in the development of new polymer systems may not look overly impressive. This is despite the fact that artificial and synthetic polymers have completely changed our lives—indeed, we can no longer imagine living without all-season fruits and vegetables; easily available electricity, from vacuum cleaners to electric kettles; advancements in medicine; modern construction work; and transport, from spaceships to electric scooters.

The present-day human society takes these achievements for granted and has no desire to thank the scientists for them. On the contrary, society reproaches us for polymer waste that has filled our seas and oceans as wandering islands, poisoning sea life. This waste is not an inevitable byproduct of polymer science progress, but rather a reflection of this very society’s level of self-organization as well as its readiness to use the benefits of polymers and polymer technologies smartly and responsibly.

Society is beginning to tackle the problem of polymer waste by barring the use of polymers in some applications and returning to traditional materials such as paper, glass, and metal, not realizing that paper and some glasses are polymer materials and that the manufacture of these materials as well as metals is far more damaging to the environment than polymers.

The polymer community is trying to adapt to the demands of an insufficiently educated lay society and to substitute “bad” polymers for “good” ones. However, there are no criteria for measuring a polymer’s “goodness,” and those that one may have heard of are still liable to be proven false. For example, the biodegradable systems craze does not guarantee the solution of the polymer waste problem, as it creates new ones that are just as complex and potentially more dangerous. This raises the question, what should polymers of the future be?

Obviously, while seeking an answer to that question, we are not ready to denounce any of the huge variety of polymers created by the talent of numerous generations of scientists, engineers, and workers of the gargantuan polymer industry. That said, we must bring the existing polymers to such a state that they will no longer present any danger to the environment. It is also clear that we cannot wait until society catches up to the level of consciousness required to use polymers responsibly.

The idea for this Special Issue is quite simple yet important. I am inviting experts from different areas of polymer science to share their ideas regarding approaches to resolving the global issue of the safe development of polymers, polymer materials, and polymer technologies as an alternative to ineffective and energy-intensive methods that are currently in use in various countries, as none of them bring us any closer to finding a global-scale resolution of the problem. I welcome the submission of articles on original approaches to designing new systems that decrease the expenses in every stage of a polymer’s life cycle, from the synthesis of monomers to all phases of recycling, to the finishing point where materials are safely disposed of. Submissions could include overviews with constructive criticism of current polymer synthesis and recycling technologies or highlights suggesting new original approaches to all stages of a polymer’s life cycle that require a concerted effort from the scientific and engineering communities to bring them to life.

Prof. Dr. Aziz Mansurovich Muzafarov
Guest Editor

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• polymer materials
• eco-friendly polymer
• polymer technologies
• polymer’s life cycle
• polymer synthesis
• polymer degradation
• polymer applications