Dear Colleagues,

Polymers are ubiquitous for nearly any technology in our daily life, while most of them are disposed of after their service life, regardless of the substantial feedstock consumed for the production. Natural and synthetic polymers derived from renewable resources are emerging as promising replacements for traditional petroleum-based plastics towards a sustainable society. The adoption of biomass feedstock is significant for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of the fossil resources. Moreover, polymers from biomass could bring additional functions, such as intermolecular interactions, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Polymers from biomass can be available as biopolymers, such as lignin, cellulose, lignin, and chitin. Alternatively, they can be built from biobased building blocks, such as terpenes, fatty acids, and so on. Interdisciplinary cooperation within synthetic chemistry, materials engineering, environmental science, and biology have further led to remarkable progress in the design and manufacturing of high-performance materials from biomass, thereby boosting the commercialization of biobased polymers.

This Special Issue will highlight recent advances in biobased polymers, preferred to be but not limited to (1) innovation in chemical approaches to synthesizing polymers from biobased feedstock; (2) structure–property correlations and engineering properties of biobased polymers and their applications as high-performance materials; and (3) industrial solutions and chemical recycling of polymers from renewable resources for sustainability.

Dr. Tianyu Zhu
Dr. Ye Sha
Guest Editors