Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.4
4.2
Journals
Molecules
Special Issues
30th Anniversary of Molecules: Recent Advances and the Next...
molecules-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Molecules Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

30th Anniversary of Molecules: Recent Advances and the Next in Macromolecular Chemistry

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Macromolecular Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 3743

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sylvain Caillol

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier (ICGM), CNRS, ENSCM, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, France
Interests: green and sustainable chemistry; building-blocks from biomass; biobased monomers and polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hua Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, MOE Key Lab of Rare Pediatric Disease, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
Interests: polymer chemistry; cyclic polymer; controlled drug release; gene delivery; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Apostolos Avgeropoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Polymer Science & Engineering, Department of Materials Science Engineering, University of Ioannina, University Campus-Dourouti, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: living polymerization methods (anionic and living radical) of linear and non-linear polymers; molecular characterization in solution; self assembly of various types of polymers; structure/properties relationship; various modification reactions for polymers; superhydrophobic and super hydrophilic materials; conjugated polymers; nanopatterning of nanostructures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ying-Wei Yang

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Interests: supramolecular chemistry and functional materials; organic-inorganic hybrid biomaterials; energy conversion and catalysis; porous materials and nonporous crystalline materials; antibacterial materials and cancer theranostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Molecules, it is an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable progress in macromolecular chemistry and envision its future directions. Over the past decades, macromolecular science has expanded from traditional polymers to encompass a broad spectrum of materials, including synthetic and natural polymers, supramolecular systems, biological macromolecules, and hybrid structures. These advancements have profoundly impacted diverse fields such as materials science, biology, and medicine.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest innovations and future directions in macromolecular chemistry. We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Natural and Synthetic Polymers: novel polymerization methods and mechanisms, biomass-derived and bio-based polymers, and macromolecular architectures;
  • Functional Polymers: stimuli-responsive polymers, biodegradable polymers, polymers recycling, debondable polymers, and biomedical  polymers;
  • Supramolecular chemistry: self-assembly, host-guest interactions, and dynamic macromolecular systems;
  • Biological macromolecules: proteins, nucleic acids, enzyme and polysaccharides, etc.;
  • Advanced characterization techniques and theoretical studies in macromolecular science.

This Special Issue provides a platform to celebrate the achievements in macromolecular chemistry while fostering discussions about its next breakthroughs. We invite researchers to submit original articles and comprehensive reviews that contribute to this vibrant field.

Dr. Sylvain Caillol
Prof. Dr. Hua Wei
Prof. Dr. Apostolos Avgeropoulos
Prof. Dr. Ying-Wei Yang
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

Keywords

  • macromolecular chemistry
  • synthetic polymers
  • natural polymers
  • polymerization mechanisms and kinetics
  • supramolecular self-assembly
  • biological macromolecules

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 5975 KiB  
Article
The Preparation of Cyclic Binary Block Polymer Using Bimolecular Homodifunctional Coupling Reaction and Characterization of Its Performance as a Drug Carrier
by Guiying Kang, Muxin Lu, Kang Zhou, Cuiyun Yu and Hua Wei
Molecules 2025, 30(3), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030599 - 29 Jan 2025
Viewed by 753
Abstract
There is relatively little research on cyclic amphiphilic block polymers, having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments placed in the ring and thus resulting in a higher degree of topological restriction, as drug vehicles. Cyclic amphiphilic binary block polymer is synthesized by the click [...] Read more.
There is relatively little research on cyclic amphiphilic block polymers, having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments placed in the ring and thus resulting in a higher degree of topological restriction, as drug vehicles. Cyclic amphiphilic binary block polymer is synthesized by the click coupling reaction of bimolecular homodifunctional precursors. The results indicate that cyclization between linear polymer precursors is successful if the trace linear by-products generated are ignored, which also suggests that the small molecule bifunctional terminating agent applied in traditional bimolecular homodifunctional ring-closure process can be extended to large molecule. Moreover, the study on the self-assembly behavior of polymers shows that, compared with linear counterparts, the stability and drug loading capacity of micelles based on the resultant cyclic polymer are not significantly improved due to the influence of topological structure and linear impurities. Nevertheless, drug loaded micelles formed by the obtained cyclic polymers still exhibit superior cellular uptake ability. It can be seen that topological effects do play an irreplaceable role in the application performance of polymers. Therefore, the construction and synthesis of cyclic and its derivative polymers with moderate topological confinement and high purity may be a key direction for future exploration of polymer drug delivery carriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 30th Anniversary of Molecules: Recent Advances and the Next in Macromolecular Chemistry)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 4151 KiB  
Review
Current State-of-the-Art and Perspectives in the Design and Application of Vitrimeric Systems
by Diego Pugliese and Giulio Malucelli
Molecules 2025, 30(3), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030569 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1347
Abstract
To fulfill the current circular economy concept, the academic and industrial communities are devoting significant efforts to plastic materials’ end-of-life. Unlike thermoplastics, which are easy to recover and re-valorize, recycling thermosets is still difficult and challenging. Conversely, because of their network structure, thermosetting [...] Read more.
To fulfill the current circular economy concept, the academic and industrial communities are devoting significant efforts to plastic materials’ end-of-life. Unlike thermoplastics, which are easy to recover and re-valorize, recycling thermosets is still difficult and challenging. Conversely, because of their network structure, thermosetting polymer systems exhibit peculiar features that make these materials preferable for several applications where high mechanical properties, chemical inertness, and thermal stability, among others, are demanded. In this view, vitrimers have quite recently attracted the attention of the scientific community, as they can form dynamic covalent adaptive networks that provide the properties typical of thermosets while keeping the possibility of being processed (and, therefore, mechanically recycled) beyond a certain temperature. This review aims to provide an overview of vitrimers, elucidating their most recent advances and applications and posing some perspectives for the forthcoming years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 30th Anniversary of Molecules: Recent Advances and the Next in Macromolecular Chemistry)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 3382 KiB  
Review
Autonomic Self-Healing of Polymers: Mechanisms, Applications, and Challenges
by Chenxu Wang and Roman Boulatov
Molecules 2025, 30(3), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30030469 - 22 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1297
Abstract
Mechanical loads degrade polymers by enabling mechanochemical fragmentation of macromolecular backbones. In most polymers, this fragmentation is irreversible, and its accumulation leads to the appearance and propagation of cracks and, ultimately, fracture of the material. Self-healing describes a diverse and loosely defined collection [...] Read more.
Mechanical loads degrade polymers by enabling mechanochemical fragmentation of macromolecular backbones. In most polymers, this fragmentation is irreversible, and its accumulation leads to the appearance and propagation of cracks and, ultimately, fracture of the material. Self-healing describes a diverse and loosely defined collection of approaches that aim at reversing this damage. Most reported synthetic self-healing polymers are non-autonomic, i.e., they require the user to input free energy (in the form of heat, irradiation, or reagents) into the damaged material to initiate its repair. Here, we critically discuss emerging chemical approaches to autonomic self-healing that rely on regenerating the density of load-bearing, dissociatively-inert backbone bonds either after the load on a partially damaged material dissipated or continuously and in competition with the mechanochemically driven loss of backbones in the loaded material. We group the reported chemistries into three broad types whose analysis yields a set of criteria against which the potential of a prospective approach to yield practically relevant self-healing polymers can be assessed quantitatively. Our analysis suggests that the direct chain-to-chain addition in mechanically loaded unsaturated polyolefins is the most promising chemical strategy reported to date to achieve autonomic synchronous self-healing of practical significance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 30th Anniversary of Molecules: Recent Advances and the Next in Macromolecular Chemistry)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop