Responsive Polymers for Drug Delivery, Imaging and Theranostic Functions

Dear Colleagues,

Similar to living systems that can nonlinearly respond to external applied stimuli/signals, responsive polymers can undergo drastic changes in chemical and (or) physical properties to adapt to the surrounding environment which made them unique materials for a wide of applications including drug delivery, imaging, theranostic agents, tissue engineering, self-healing/shape-memory materials, as well as smart coatings and textiles. Notably, despite tremendous achievements, emerging outcomes have continuously bloomed from ever-increasing understanding of delicate polymer synthesis, advanced characterization techniques, and versatile functional integrations of responsive polymers.

This Specific Issue entitled “Responsive Polymers for Drug Delivery, Imaging and Theranostic Functions” will cover the recent development of responsive polymers ranging from precise design and synthesis, controlled self-assembly, and functional applications, particularly in the fields of drug and gene delivery, imaging, and theranostics. However, topics may also encompass other fundamental fields, such as kinetic transitions of responsive polymers in equilibrium and non-equilibrium states and theoretical elucidation of responsive behavior and underlying mechanisms. Contributions from both original research studies and comprehensive reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Shiyong Liu
Prof. Dr. Jinming Hu
Prof. Dr. Ravin Narain
Guest Editors

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