Next-Generation Smart Polymers: Stimuli-Responsive and Covalent Adaptable Materials for Sustainable Technologies

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the design and advancement of next-generation smart polymeric materials that combine stimuli-responsiveness with structural adaptability and sustainability. Smart materials are broadly defined by their ability to respond dynamically to external stimuli such as temperature, light, pH, pressure, or electromagnetic fields. In recent years, this concept has expanded to include materials that not only respond to but can also adapt, heal, or be reconfigured through reversible chemical mechanisms.

In this context, covalent adaptable networks (CANs) represent a new frontier in smart materials. By incorporating dynamic covalent bonds, CANs offer a unique combination of mechanical robustness and reprocessability, enabling properties like self-healing, recyclability, and reconfigurability—traits essential for extending material lifetimes and reducing environmental impact.

Together, stimulus-responsive polymers and CANs form a continuum of intelligent materials capable of real-time responses and long-term adaptability. However, significant challenges remain, including complex synthesis routes, limited responsiveness under diverse conditions, stability in demanding environments, scalability, and the integration of sustainable practices.

This Special Issue invites contributions that push the boundaries of smart material design, addressing the chemical, functional, and ecological dimensions necessary to realize multifunctional, adaptive materials for future technologies.

Dr. Camilla Noè
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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