Smart Polymers for Catalytic and Separation Processes

Dear Colleagues,

Diverse chemical reactions may be more efficiently (e.g., more rapidly, under milder conditions, using environmentally friendly solvents, etc.) performed with the aid of catalytic moieties. Ideally, after a catalytic reaction is completed, the catalysts must be separated from the corresponding reaction medium, regenerated, and reutilized in further catalytic cycles. Nevertheless, most of the catalysts cannot be effectively recycled for further usage due to several intrinsic limitations of the reaction systems. Encouraged by the unlimited possibilities provided by functional polymers in terms of supplying and adjusting various chemical, physical, and/or biological properties, the development of smart polymer catalysts intent to combine catalytic functional groups of high activity with stimuli-responsive properties in diverse polymer materials. This novel approach has brought together the advantages of homogeneous catalysis and heterogeneous separation processes in single catalytic systems. Thus, this Special Issue focuses on highlighting the significant potential of combining both stimuli-responsive and catalytic moieties into polymer materials to develop intelligent catalytic systems and/or separation processes aiming to alleviate the current limitations of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in chemical reactions of industrial importance. Hence, the development of fully circular smart materials and separation processes for the chemical industry of the twenty-first century may be made possible by this strategy.

Dr. Carlos Guerrero Sanchez
Dr. Víctor Daniel Lechuga-Islas
Dr. Melisa Trejo-Maldonado
Guest Editors

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