A Virtual issue of macromolecules: "Polymers from renewable resources"

Some important and interesting contributions to Macromolecules that provides a fundamental understanding for future technological development of these emerging materials are discussed. Macromolecules include the synthesis of new renewable monomers and the catalytic conversion of these and more established renewable monomers into their corresponding polymers. The design and development of renewable copolymers with various macromolecular architectures for enhanced properties is central to many of these efforts. The formation of arylboronate ester derivatives using a mild dehydration process to give organic solvent-soluble materials is also described. The development and polymerization of new monomers is central to the renewable polymer effort. Renewable resource polymers represent and active and growing area of polymer science.