Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that natural polymers of complex composition (proteins, polysaccharides, and DNA) with different primary sequences of monomers form the basis of all living organisms. Branched polymers and their mixtures with linear polymers are also widespread in nature (e.g., glycogen, starch (branched amylopectin mixed with linear amylose), and dextran). In the late 1970s, the first artificial regular hyperbranched polymers, dendrimers, were synthesized. Currently, natural and synthetic polymers and polymer systems of complex architecture and composition are widely used in industry and in biomedical applications.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to obtain a broad picture of the current state of polymer science in this area based on reviews and scientific articles devoted to (but not limited to) the following systems and methods of their study:

Systems with a complex monomeric composition of polymers: Linear polymers of a complex composition, for example, synthetic diblock and triblock copolymers, DNA, peptides, and polysaccharides having different primary sequence of the corresponding monomers.

Systems with complex polymer chemical architectures: Branched synthetic polymers, such as graft copolymers, polymer stars, dendrimers, dendrigrafts, hyperbranched polymers, and branched polysaccharides and peptides. Hybrid polymers such as linear-dendron molecules and dendron-dendron molecules (for example, Janus dendrimers). Various crosslinked polymer systems including polymer networks and gels.

Systems with a complex composition of polymer systems components: For example, mixtures of various polymer molecules, complexes of linear and branched polymers, and complexes for the delivery of small and large bioactive molecules (drugs, peptides, oligo- and polysaccharides, DNA and RNA).

Systems capable of self-ordering: Association (including micelle formation in solution) and ordering of all the above polymeric molecules into complex spatial structures.

Methods: Synthesis of polymer and biopolymer molecules, and their characterization using various experimental methods. Theory, modeling, and applications of these systems in industry and biomedicine.

Prof. Dr. Igor Neelov
Guest Editor

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• polymers and biopolymers
• dendrimers, dendrigrafts, hyperbranched polymers, hybrid molecules, micelles
• synthesis, characterization, theory, computer simulation