State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in Portugal (2020,2021)

Dear Colleagues,

Portugal is a rapidly developing country that aims to be the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe. Traditional industries, such as glass-making, have morphed into the third-largest centre of mould-making for plastic processing. Portugal has an emerging biomedical and pharmaceutical industry and is a leader in the implementation of 3G and 5G. As a country that borders both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Portugal has a strong interest in the marine industries and in environmental issues. In recent times, Portugal has generated all of its electrical energy from renewable sources, including wind and hydroelectric sources, and solar farms are emerging. In the same vein, there is a focus in many research centres on biopolymers and other natural resources and the entire circular economy.  A network of almost 400 publically funded research units in Universities and Polytechnics provides the core of research together with the Ministry of Science through the Foundation for Science and Technology. Other notable research institutes include the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, which is an international centre for biomedical research and graduate education in Oeiras, the Champalimaud Foundation, which is based in Lisbon and focused on neuroscience and oncology, and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga. A particular feature of research in Portugal is the multidisciplinary nature of the research teams and the diverse areas of Polymer Science including  Chemistry, Physics, Polymer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Materials Science, and Medical Applications. The focus of the research ranges from synthesis and characterization to processing and fabrication, involving work with synthetic, artificial, and natural polymers. Novel developments very often translate into innovative real-world products and processes, thanks to close collaborations with industry, in fields such as coatings, adhesives, foams, paper, textiles, packaging, and composites, which are often supported by the Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI).

This Special Issue intends to present a collection of original research and review articles that provide an overview of current work on Polymer Science in Portugal. Potential research topics include, but are not limited to:

• polymer synthesis and modification;
• physical characterization;
• biodegradability;
• functional polymers;
• biosourced polymers;
• biomaterials;
• supramolecular structures;
• property–structure relationships;
• composites and nanocomposites;
• modeling of reaction engineering and processing;
• technological applications;
• environmental applications;
• additive manufacturing;
• polymers for a circular economy

Prof. Dr. Fernão D. Magalhães
Prof. Dr. Geoffrey R. Mitchell
Dr. Marta Otero
Prof. Dr. José António Covas
Guest Editors

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