ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 1-1 - Editorial - Young Investigator Forum

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob

This editorial introduces the Young Investigators Forum featured in ACS Applied Polymer Materials. It summarizes how young researchers address key challenges in water, energy, and health through creative advances in polymer and composite chemistries. The forum is presented as a snapshot of current research, highlighting ten papers from major institutions. The editorial outlines representative topics and applications, spanning water transport in Nafion composites, polymer solar cells and photocatalysis, biomedical thermoresponsive polymers, organic electronics, photonic sensing, self-healing hydrogels, and polymer electrolytes and imaging. It emphasizes the impact of polymers on everyday life and future technologies.

LanguageEnglish

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Editorial

Young Investigator Forum

Featured Research Topics

This article is made available for a limited time sponsored by ACS under the ACS Free to Read License, which permits copying and redistribution of the article for non-commercial scholarly purposes. Editorial Cite This: ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 1−1 [pubs.acs.org/acsapm](pubs.acs.org/acsapm) Downloaded via 18.208. 106.250 on November 10, 2021 at 12:53:12 (UTC) . See [https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines](https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines) for options on how to legitimately share published articles. Forum: Young Investigators in Applied Polymer Materials layndmeremmergatiengrialsinvapestpliigcaattioorsns thaTtoadraey sdrivgraing thnd chealflutenugrees ofin n this Forum, we highlight research conducted by young ’ water, energy, and health require an evolution in high performance polymers and composites. Motivated by this, young investigators in applied polymer materials are meeting these challenges with creative new approaches that showcase new chemistries, morphologies, properties, and characterization approaches. The Forum that is contained in the current issue of ACS Applied Polymer Materials provides a snapshot of research in the ﬁeld from many top young investigators in the community. The Forum contains ten papers authored by scientists and engineers located at many of the top institutions, including Clemson University, South China University of Technology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Dalian University of Technology, Brown University, University of Rochester, Purdue University, and Southern University of Science and Technology, among others. The young investigators describe here a range of applications which demonstrates the essential impact of polymers in everyday life and future technologies. Eric Davis describes water transport in Naﬁon composites. Fei Huang reports the application of hyperbranched polyelectrolytes and their application in polymer solar cells and photocatalysis. Eugenia Kharlampieva reviews thermoresponsive polymers for applications in the biomedical ﬁeld. Jun Liu describes conjugated polymers for n-type organic ﬁeld-eﬀect transistors. Guoliang Liu reports halogen-free poly(ether imides). Wei Ma discloses copolymer photonic crystals that sense solvent vapors. Anita Shukla describes supramolecular hydrogels with“host−guest” self-healing capabilities. Wyatt Tenhaeﬀ discloses thermally and oxidatively stable polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries. Jianguo Mei describes the high temperature operation of conjugated polymers. Changfeng Wu reports polymer dots for tumor imaging. With the range of topics covered by these and other talented young and emerging investigators, ACS Applied Polymer Materials showcases and celebrates the next generation of researchers in this vibrant ﬁeld. Jodie Lutkenhaus ■ AUTHOR INFORMATION ORCID Notes Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS. Special Issue: Young Investigator Forum Published: January 10, 2020 © 2020 American Chemical Society 1 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.9b01186 ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2020, 2, 1−1

FAQs

What is the Young Investigator Forum in ACS Applied Polymer Materials?

It is a special forum within the issue that highlights research conducted by young investigators in applied polymer materials, presented through a collection of papers.

How does the editorial describe the main motivation behind the forum?

It emphasizes the need for evolution in high-performance polymers and composites to meet challenges in water, energy, and health.

What types of research topics are mentioned as examples in the editorial?

Examples include water transport in Nafion composites, hyperbranched polyelectrolytes for polymer solar cells and photocatalysis, thermoresponsive biomedical polymers, n-type organic field-effect transistors, photonic crystal sensing, self-healing hydrogels, polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries, and polymer dots for tumor imaging.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Jacob