Discover the must-read applied polymer research solving real-world challenges
From clean water and healthcare to infrastructure, energy storage and sustainability, society needs innovative material solutions.
Polymer science is playing an increasingly important role in addressing these challenges, helping to transform waste into valuable resources, develop smarter and more durable materials, and enable the technologies of tomorrow.
Research published in RSC Applied Polymers demonstrates how advances in polymer design, processing and application are creating new opportunities to reduce waste, recover valuable resources, improve environmental outcomes and develop materials with enhanced functionality and performance.
To showcase some of the exciting work being published in the journal, we have curated a collection of must-read articles that highlight emerging directions in applied polymer science. Spanning multiple disciplines and application areas, these studies demonstrate how researchers are rethinking the role of polymers in a more sustainable, resilient and technologically advanced future.
Explore the collection below and discover how polymer scientists are developing practical solutions to real-world challenges.
Sustainable and circular materials
How can polymer science support a more sustainable future?
Creating a circular materials economy requires more than simply reducing waste. It demands innovative approaches to material design, recycling and resource recovery that keep valuable materials in use for longer. The articles featured below explore how researchers are developing polymers designed for circularity and finding new ways to transform plastic waste into high-value functional materials. Together, they demonstrate how polymer science can help close material loops while maintaining performance and functionality.
Closing the loop: polyimine thermosets from furfural derived bioresources
Hard thermoset plastics are notoriously unrecyclable. This paper introduces bio-based polyimines (78–90% bio-content) derived from agricultural waste that achieve energy-efficient, closed-loop chemical recycling under mildly acidic conditions.
Valorization of plastic waste via chemical activation and carbonization into activated carbon for functional material applications
Can we turn plastic trash into a solution for pollution? This review explores chemically transforming non-recyclable plastics and polyesters into high-surface-area activated carbon filters to capture dyes, CO2 and microplastics.
Clean water and environmental protection
How can polymer science help tackle environmental challenges?
From emerging contaminants and industrial pollutants to microplastics and wastewater treatment, environmental challenges require innovative material solutions. The research highlighted below showcases how polymer-based technologies can support pollution remediation, water purification and resource recovery. By turning waste materials into useful environmental tools and developing advanced filtration systems, these studies demonstrate the potential of polymers to contribute to a cleaner and more sustainable environment.
Application of chewed gum for treating oil sands tailings and adsorbing organic dyes and heavy metal ions
Used chewing gum is a notoriously stubborn environmental waste product, until now. This paper demonstrates how waste gum can be upcycled into columns that successfully filter toxic dyes and heavy metals from oil sands wastewater.
Bio-based electrospun polyamide membrane – sustainable multipurpose filter membranes for microplastic filtration
Engineered from plant oils, these reusable membranes achieve an astonishing 99.8% efficiency in filtering microplastics from water. They even double as protective air filters, rivalling the particle removal of an FFP3 mask.
Smart and functional materials
What will the next generation of smart materials look like?
Modern polymers are increasingly being designed to do more than provide structural performance alone. Researchers are developing materials that can respond to external stimuli, adapt to changing environments and deliver enhanced functionality across a range of applications. The studies featured below highlight advances in responsive and multifunctional polymer systems that are helping to expand the possibilities of what polymer materials can achieve.
Future of concrete: autonomous self-healing with advanced microcapsule technology
Imagine concrete roads and buildings that autonomously fix their own cracks. This comprehensive review dives into advanced microcapsule architecture, exploring how embedded polymer shells rupture under mechanical stress to release healing agents, significantly extending infrastructure lifespan.
An injectable, self-healing, polysaccharide-based antioxidative hydrogel for wound healing
Chronic wounds suffer from persistent inflammation caused by excessive oxygen radicals (ROS). This study introduces a biocompatible, polysaccharide hydrogel that features rapid in-situ gelation and self-healing properties to scavenge these radicals and accelerate tissue recovery.
Energy and advanced manufacturing
How are polymers enabling the technologies of tomorrow?
Advances in polymer science continue to drive innovation across manufacturing, electronics and energy-related applications. Whether enabling new fabrication methods, improving material performance or supporting the development of next-generation technologies, polymers remain central to technological progress. The research showcased here highlights how innovative polymer systems are helping to shape the future of advanced manufacturing and high-performance applications.
Inverse vulcanisation: a new starter's guide to an emerging field
Transforming industrial sulfur waste into eco-friendly, high-tech polymers is a game-changer for sustainability. This essential how-to guide provides researchers with the fundamental principles and practical laboratory protocols needed to master inverse vulcanisation safely and effectively.
Polymer electrolytes: evolution, challenges, and future directions for lithium-ion batteries
Volatile liquid battery components pose severe leak and fire risks. This comprehensive review tracks the evolution of safer, solid-state polymer alternatives designed to overcome low ionic conductivity and suppress dendrite growth for next-generation energy storage.
Explore more from RSC Applied Polymers
RSC Applied Polymers publishes high-quality research spanning the design, synthesis, processing and application of polymeric materials. The journal provides a platform for interdisciplinary research that addresses contemporary scientific, technological and societal challenges through innovative polymer science.