Status and Progress of Soluble Polymers II

Dear Colleagues,

Polymers play an important role in various applied areas in mining processing, the food industry, paper, and others. Its great importance lies mainly in its linear structure and the ability to modify its structure in the face of different operational conditions. Such characteristics allow polymers to be added at low doses and thus significantly change the properties of complex systems. This is due to their interaction with the medium or, in other words, their solubility. Therefore, it is necessary to study the chemical and electronic nature of polymers. First, the functional groups that constitute it can improve the flexibility or rigidity of the main chain. If these functional groups also have an explicit electrical charge, they can be polymers that respond to pH or salt. Familiarity with the structure and its behavior in the environment helps to predict its effects at the macroscopic level and understand the phenomena that occur in real processes (on an industrial scale). For example, in flocculation processes, it is relevant that polymers cover a large area and can also adhere to charged particles. In wastewater treatment, it is necessary to generate a good electrostatic attraction between the polymers and the dispersed particles in the medium.

Due to these aspects, it is then relevant to know the characteristics that ultimately influence the macroscopic property that is applicable to the process of interest from an atomic point of view. This Special Issue aims to explore polymers on a molecular scale, specifically their design and optimization.

Dr. Gonzalo R. Quezada
Dr. Ricardo Ivan Jeldres
Guest Editors

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