Emerging horizons in polymer applications

Polymers are ubiquitous in life; they are used across many length scales, from bulk engineering to precision nanomedicine. The broad applicability of polymers stems from the myriad of different architectures and chemistries that can be produced. In essence, a polymer is a large macromolecule consisting of many repeat units, a concept first proposed by Hermann Staudinger in 1920. However, the use of polymers predates this; natural polymers have been used throughout human history and synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl chloride and Bakelite were invented in the late 19th century. Throughout the 20th century, a plethora of synthetic polymers have been developed. This editorial will highlight the cutting-edge research recently reported across Materials Horizons and Nanoscale Horizons, covering four critical research areas: catalytic polymer materials, polymers in additive manufacturing, self-healing polymeric materials, and recyclable/sustainable polymers.