Tackling new challenges in the field of macromolecular chemistry and polymer materials

Tackling new challenges in the field of macromolecular chemistry and polymer materials Polymer science is trans-disciplinary, covering several aspects from "tailor-made" macromolecular synthesis to materials manufacturing and this science is steadily evolving so as to address technological needs as well as an increasing demand of our modern society. In the last thirty years, efforts were directed toward both the control of the selectivity of propagating reactive species, in order to induce the so-called "controlled/living" polymerization processes, and the processes optimization. Precisely controlling the structure, the topology and the functionality of polymer chains enables the design of macromolecular scaffolds that may find applications in high added-value domains including cosmetics, health, electronics, etc. With the help of a few examples, this article highlights methodologic tools that have recently emerged in polymer chemistry aimed at controlling polymerization reactions and/or at chemically modifying polymer chains, taking into account both the environmental and societal impact of the as-produced polymer materials. A few polymer architectures arranged at the mesoscopic scale through "macromolecular engineering" and possessing specific properties are also presented.