A DISCUSSION MEETING
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF
POLYMER CHEMISTRY
MAY 2-4, 2012

Schluchsee, Germany  

The aim of this workshop is to discuss current challenges in polymer chemistry and the new opportunities provided by tailoring polymer architectures and tuning properties of organic and macromolecular systems. How can polymer design, (nano)structure formation and system integration contribute to solving existing problems of advanced materials and enabling new technologies? How do we define the future role of polymer chemistry and the priorities in polymer synthesis and materials development?

We propose to focus on new approaches and (dream) polymer products which meet the urgent demands of our society for renewable energy, communication, protection, and sustainable development. The discussions will be fueled by invited lectures (30 min) and stimulated by (invited) flash presentations. These presentations will give short statements on the limitations and challenges of existing approaches, raise questions or sketch new ideas.

During each session ample time will be reserved for discussions and all participants are welcome to present their opinion in flash presentations. Discussions are continued during the poster sessions in the evening.

The meeting is structured in four thematic areas. For each area a few exemplar questions are indicated below, which might be taken up in the discussions.


Electroactive polymers for optoelectronics and energy technologies

• Can carbon polymers substitute silicon in electronics and energy harvesting?
• How to improve polymer solar cells?
• How to exploit polymer chemistry in energy harvesting and energy storage?
• How to make polymer batteries?
   

Responsive polymers for smart materials and systems

• How to improve precision and functional design in polymer synthesis?
• How to render polymers smart and responsive to changes of their environment?
• How to design polymers for system integration and applications in micro systems and multifunctional devices?
   

Polymers for high resource- and energy effectiveness

• What is the future role of polymerization catalysis?
• Is carbon dioxide the raw materials of the future?
• Which polymers are needed in industry?
   

Supramolecular polymers

• How to exploit non-covalent bond formation and supramolecular assemblies in designing functional polymers and systems?