Polymer International, a peer reviewed journal, is the forum of choice for papers concerning all aspects of macromolecular science and technology. Special Topic Issues provide readers with up-to-date and comprehensive surveys of current thinking in the newest and most important areas of polymer science and technology. The Featured Articles are written by top specialists in their ®elds and the Rapid Reports enable short reports of special interest, which merit extremely rapid publication, to be processed using special editorial procedures which allow for extremely fast publication times whilst maintaining strict refereeing standards.
Polymer International pursues an international publication policy covering all aspects of macromolecular science and technology, especially original research on biopolymers, polymer chemistry, physical and industrial polymer science. In the third millennium we hope to focus more on the new synthesis of polymers, on biodegradable polymers, on the modi®cation of surface properties of polymers (eg plasma, etc¼), and on electrical properties ± though not by abandoning traditional strengths.
Much new research emphasis has been directed towards integrating multiple functions into polymeric materials. Among the new advances in materials science are functional polymers with structural designs intended to produce a speci®c polymer function. Traditional materials science has presumed an equilibrium approach to understanding polymer properties. Materials structures have been seen as static and unchanging, with properties also unchanging. This approach has served the polymer materials science and engineering community well todate.
In contrast, stimuli-responsive polymers are new, intelligent materials, the structure and physical properties of which respond to external signals. Modulation of external stimuli can modulate speci®c functions of such materials. In order to control the magnitudes of response of these intelligent materials, the kinetics of structural changes must ®rst be elucidated. Thus, a new area of intelligent materials science will be developed in the third millennium, in which an understanding of kinetics, dynamics and equilibrium theory will be central, and the role of polymers will be paramount.
Importantly, such materials will also permit new applications to drug delivery systems and biomedical engineering systems. For example, intelligent polymeric hydrogels have the potential to be used as self-regulating, auto-feedback drug delivery systems. Such a system senses a signal caused by a disease (sensor function) and judges the magnitude of the signal (processor function). Double targeting is being investigated primarily for the delivery of anticancer drugs. A system is described as double targeting if drugs are delivered to target sites using the antibodies of homing receptors as targeting moieties and then released in a controlled manner by physical stimuli at the target site.
Intelligent materials can also be applied to new problems in surface chemistry. Surface hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity can be modulated by external signals; cultured cells and contiguous sheets can therefore be detached and recovered from polymer-grafted surfaces using these signals. This two-dimensional manipulation of cells is important for opening new areas of tissue engineering. From these perspectives, functional polymers and hydrogels for drug delivery systems and biomedical engineering are two key areas that will be developed in the third millennium.
The third millennium brings with it many challenges and opportunities, both for polymer science and for Polymer International. As part of the reorganisation of the Editorial structure we are setting up manuscript receiving centres in Australia, India and The Americas. This is in response to the international popularity of