Abstract

The establishment of the discipline of polymer science at Sichuan University can be traced back to 1953. In 1952, Sichuan Institute of Chemical Technology was established by integrating the chemical engineering disciplines of 10 universities such as Sichuan University and Chongqing University. In 1953, the first major in polymers in Chinese universities was established with an initial name as Major in Polymer Compounds, which was renamed as Major in Polymer Engineering in 1954. In November 1954, Sichuan Institute of Chemical Engineering merged into the newly established Chengdu Institute of Technology. In August 1958, a new major in Synthetic Fibers was established in Chengdu Institute of Technology, and it was renamed as Major in Chemical Fibers in 1960. In 1960, the Polymer Research Institute was established. In the same year, a textbook titled "Principles of Polymer Physical Chemistry" that authored by Prof. Xi XU, one of the pioneering founders in this field and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published as the first textbook for polymer major in Chinese universities. In 1961, the Department of Polymer Chemical Engineering was established with four specialized majors, that is, Chemical Fibers, Polymer Engineering, Synthetic Rubber Engineering, and Leather Engineering. In 1978, Chengdu Institute of Technology was renamed as Chengdu University of Science and Technology. In 1979, the Department of Polymer Chemical Engineering was restructured and renamed as the Department of Polymer Materials. In the 1980s, the discipline of polymer science at Chengdu University of Science and Technology developed rapidly. In 1981, it was awarded the first batch of doctoral programs in "Polymer Materials" in China. In 1986, the Department of Polymer Materials was restructured into four new departments, giving rise to a disciplinary system in polymer science and engineering that comprises the Department of Polymer Materials, Department of Plastics Engineering, Department of Chemical Fibers, Department of Leather Engineering, and the Polymer Research Institute. In 1989, the State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering was formally approved the established as a national key laboratory in China. Since then, the discipline of polymer science and engineering at Chengdu University of Science and Technology has evolved into an important base for high-level scientific research and high-level talent training in the field of polymers in China. In 1994, the former Chengdu University of Science and Technology and the former Sichuan University merged into Sichuan Union University, which was then renamed as Sichuan University in 1998. In July 2001, the College of Polymer Science and Engineering was established in Sichuan University. Currently, the discipline of polymer science and engineering at Sichuan University is distributed in various institutions including the College of Polymer Science and Engineering, the Polymer Research Institute, the College of Chemistry, the School of Chemical Engineering, the National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, and so on. While, most of the related research teams are consolidated under the State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering. Over the 70 years of development, the polymer science at Sichuan University has gradually established several highly interconnected and distinctive research directions, which include the development of novel principles and technologies for enhancing the performance of general polymer materials, theories and techniques for polymer processing and molding, high-performance and functional polymer materials, as well as polymer material recycling and environmentally friendly applications. This special issue showcases research efforts in polymer science at Sichuan University. Hesheng Xia (pol.20230500), Jiang Li (pol.20230463), Pei Cheng (pol.20230509), Jinrong Wu (pol.20230778) and colleagues have employed methods such as chemical modification, blending and structural control to enhance the performances of polymer materials. Qi Wang (pol.20230490), Guangxian Li (pol.20230372) and others have discussed novel polymer processing technologies and the structure–property relationships of polymers. Xinxing Zhang (pol.20230496), Hua Ai (pol.20230820), Yujun Feng (pol.20230555), Hong Tan (pol.20230537), Liang-Yin Chu (pol.20230502), Changsheng Zhao (pol.20230597) and their teams have developed high-performance functional polymer materials including new biomaterials, sensing materials, adsorption-separation materials and so on. Canhui Lu (pol.20230166), Chuhong Zhang (pol.20230447), Yu-Zhong Wang (pol.20230211) and collaborators have demonstrated polymer recycling, reuse and environmentally friendly applications of polymer materials. We express our heartfelt gratitude to all current and former colleagues engaged in polymer science and engineering at Sichuan University, as well as our esteemed collaborators, for their exceptional contributions. Meanwhile, we extend our great appreciation to the authors, reviewers, and editorial team at the Journal of Polymer Science whose efforts made this special issue a reality. We hope this issue serves as a source of inspiration, and we look forward to future collaborations and progress within our community. Prof. Qiang Wei received bachelor degree in Polymer Materials & Engineering (2008) and master degree in Biomedical Engineering (2011) at Sichuan University. He earned Ph.D. Degree in Chemistry at Freie Universität Berlin (FUB) in 2014. He became postdoctoral fellow at Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPGMF) from 2015 and project leader of FUB-MPGMF joint project from 2017. Since 2019, He has become a full professor in Sichuan University focusing on mechanobiology and interface biomaterials. Prof. Changsheng Zhao received his bachelor degree in Polymer Materials (1991) and PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering (1998) from Sichuan University. From 2001 to 2003, he did research work in Hokkaido University (Japan) as a postdoctoral research fellow. Subsequently, he joined Sichuan University and became a professor in 2004. His research interests are mostly focused on the design of hemodialysis membranes and novel bioactive and anticoagulant polymers for tissue engineering and regeneration medicine. Liang-Yin Chu is a distinguished professor of chemical engineering and a vice president of Sichuan University, China. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1995 from Northeastern University, and he was a research fellow at the University of Tokyo, and a visiting scholar at Harvard University, ESPCI Paris and the University of Birmingham. His current research interests focus on functional materials, membrane materials and processes, mass transfer and separations, and microfluidics.