Design of Chemically Recyclable Polymers in Sustainable Chemistry: A Minimalist Perspective

Dear Colleagues,

The transition toward a circular polymer economy demands innovative materials that combine high performance with genuine sustainability. Chemically recyclable polymers have emerged as a transformative class of materials, enabling chemical recycling back to their original monomers or even to value-added products, which offers a viable pathway for revitalizing plastic waste. While many reported studies have pursued elaborate synthetic routes to design recyclable polymers—efforts that are highly recognized for their ingenuity and value—of equal importance are the synthetic strategies that emphasize simplicity and sustainability. The guiding principle includes minimizing or eliminating the use of catalysts and organic solvents, reducing synthesis steps, and lowering overall energy input, which we refer to as “Minimalist Sustainable Design.”

This Special Issue, “Design of Chemically Recyclable Polymers in Sustainable Chemistry: A Minimalist Perspective,” invites submissions that advance the field of recyclable polymers, with a particular emphasis on research grounded in minimalist design principles.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: 

(1) innovative monomer and polymer designs, (2) bio-based monomers and polymers as sustainable feedstocks, (3) green synthesis and processing methods, (4) resource-, time-, energy-efficient depolymerization and recycling techniques, (5) structure-property relationship and application investigations, (6) high-performance and functional composites and their applications, and (7) other related research that embodies minimalist and sustainable principles in the synthesis, processing, and recycling of recyclable polymers.

Prof. Dr. Francesco Stellacci
Dr. Youwei Ma
Guest Editors

Dr. Ping Yu
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.