A recent special issue of Polymer International is dedicated to The Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) established in 1956. ICCAS has become one of the leading research institutes in chemistry and related fields within the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and covers a broad range of chemical and materials sciences. The institute also has established research centers for chemical biology, theoretical chemistry, and green and energy chemistry. Since its foundation, ICCAS has been active at the frontiers of materials science, in topics ranging from polymer-based materials to nanomaterials.
The main focus of the ICCAS polymer chemistry research teams is the development of new catalysts for polyolefins and polyesters, new polymerization methods and macromolecular reactions for synthesis and design of functional polymer materials, and new polymers with desired topology and architectures to fulfill the applications in the fields of photoactive materials and special engineering materials. This special issue, consisting of 1 mini-review, 1 review and 14 research articles, summarizes the recent accomplishments of ICCAS researchers in the related areas.
ICCAS aims to further strengthen research activities in polymer sciences and materials by integrating the efforts of our staff and graduate students. ICCAS welcome polymer scientists and engineers from all over the world to visit them, to discuss common interests face to face, and to co-operate for the future arm in arm.
Selected article highlights include:
A mini-review by Liu, Zhang and Wang, which introduces the state of the art in the stress induced reversible crystal transition phenomenon frequently found in polyethers and polyesters.
A review of the homogeneous esterification of cellulose, which can control the molecular structure of the resultant cellulose, esters and facilitate the versatility of cellulose-based materials.
A research article that offers an overview of the Silicon oxynitride coatings on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film fabricated by thermal annealing of inorganic polymer perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) between 60 °C and 200 °C.
