Polymers 2026: Trends, Innovation and Future
Polymers 2026: Trends, Innovation and Future
Part of the Polymers series
26 February 2026
26 March 2026
2 April 2026
9 April 2026
25 May 2026
Polymer Synthesis, Biobased Polymers, Polymer Processing, Polymer Composites, Polymer Applications, Polymer Characterization
Welcome from the Chairs
We are very proud and honored to announce the international conference Polymers 2026: Trends, Innovation and Future, organized in collaboration with the MDPI open access journal Polymers (EISSN 2073-4360, Impact Factor 4.9, CiteScore 9.7). The conference will be held in Nanjing, China, on 25–28 June 2026.
Polymers 2026 is one of the most significant international congresses in the field of polymer science, technology, and engineering, aiming to bring together all scientists working in polymers.
Polymer science was born of the establishment of the concepts of polymers and/or macromolecules. Nowadays, polymers are the materials required for modern society in every aspect. Over the past few decades, tremendous advances have been made in polymer science and engineering, from methodology of synthesis, correlations of structures with properties, application of a variety of processing technologies to development of new materials. Currently, polymer science and engineering are continuing the development of the past 60 years. There have been new trends such as green and sustainable chemistry and processing, bio and medical polymers, optoelectronic and other functional polymers. The combination of computers with internets is playing increasingly important roles; machine learning as well as artificial intelligence is being applied in the fields of polymer science and technology.
There are several issues concerning the synthesis of polymers by safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) approaches, their applications, recyclability and biodegradability of polymers. Biobased monomers and additives with lower toxicity to replace many harmful toxic fossil fuel-derived monomers should be produced using biomass treatment to avoid the production of polymers that cause several environmental and human health problems. Microplastics (MPs) represent significant challenges for the next few decades and the scientific community should take action to reduce their negative effects. Also, due to serious environmental concerns, new, green and lower energy approaches (less CO₂ emission) to the synthesis of polymers and final products should be investigated. Polymer synthesis should contribute to the transition to climate neutrality and the zero-pollution ambition.
The goal of the meeting is to bring together scientists and engineers from academia and industry to communicate on trends, innovation and future of polymer science and technology. Both oral and poster contributions of all aspects are welcome. The broad themes include synthesis, characterization, modification, polymer composites, bio-based and biodegradable polymers, smart and functional polymers, polymers from green and sustainable chemistry, polymers for the environment, and polymers in energy, among others.
Building on the strong foundation laid by Polymers 2018 in Barcelona, Polymers 2022 in Turin, and Polymers 2024 in Athens, the Polymers 2026 conference will continue to explore cutting-edge developments in the field.
We look forward to welcoming you at the meeting in Nanjing!
Conference Chairs
Prof. Dr. Sixun Zheng
Prof. Dr. Xuming Xie
Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Bikiaris
For any inquiry, please contact Conference Secretariat: polymers2026@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Tsinghua University, China
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Instructions for Authors
Create an account on Sciforum if you do not have one, then click on Submit Abstract at the top of the Conference website. You should Indicate which thematic area is best suited for your research.
The abstract should be submitted in English only and the word limits are 150-300 words. The structure abstract should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections.
All abstracts accepted for presentation will be collected in a book of abstracts, which will be displayed on the website during the conference.
Oral Presentation and Slides Submission
Authors are encouraged to prepare their presentations using PowerPoint or similar software. Please note that all presentations must be delivered in English. A link for slide upload will be provided prior to the conference.
Each presenter will be provided with a vertical poster board. The poster size is 90 cm x 140 cm. Please print your poster prior to the conference. A plan of the poster session will be circulated later on.
You can use our free template to create your poster. The poster template can be downloaded HERE.
The deadline for online abstract submission is Thursday, 26 February 2026, and you will be notified about its acceptance by Thursday, 26 March 2026.
Please note that to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract.
The deadline for registration of covering authors is Thursday, 9 April 2026. Your abstract will be withdrawn if your registration is not completed by this date.
Registration
The registration fee includes attendance of all conference sessions, morning / afternoon coffee breaks and lunches, participation in the conference banquet, conference bag. Participation to the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid.
Please note that to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by any of the authors, denoted as Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. Covering Author registration deadline is Thursday, 9 April 2026.
Please note that abstract submission and conference registration are two separate processes. During registration, please provide us with the same email address you used to submit your abstract(s). Otherwise, leave us a comment in the registration form, providing the email address used during the submission process. In addition, we prefer you to use your institutional email address for both processes.
If you are registering several people under the same registration order, please do not use the same email address for each person, but their individual institutional email addresses. Thank you for your understanding.
Certificate of Attendance: Participants of the event will be able to download an electronic Certificate of Attendance by accessing their dashboards on Sciforum.net once the event is concluded. The certificates will be found under "My Certificates" category.
关于中国学者需要的增值税发票，在您付款后，从2026年6月19号起，可以根据注册时收到的短信，登录付款系统填写您的税号，开具发票。如果任何问题，请您在付款完成后联系 polymers2026@mdpi.com
For participants from China, please select CNY as your currency when registering; For participants outside of China, please select another preferred currency when registering.
*Tax is included in the price.
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Early Bird Until 2 April 2026 |
Regular Until 25 May 2026 |
Supported documents | |
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| Academic – Research Institutions | 2600.00 CNY | 3000.00 CNY | |
| Student | 1600.00 CNY | 2000.00 CNY |
Scanned copy or photograph of your current student ID is required. |
| Editorial Board Members / Guest Editor of Polymers | 2200.00 CNY | 2600.00 CNY | |
| Non-Academic | 4000.00 CNY | 4800.00 CNY |
| Supported documents | |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship Attendee |
Free of charge for registered sponsors. Supporting document is required. |
Active discounts
Group of 3: 5% discount
Note: Group size refers to the number of registered attendees in the same registration order.
Cancellation policy
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Cancellation of paid registration is possible under the terms listed below:
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> 2 months before the conference
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Full refund but 500 CNY is retained for administration
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> 1 month before the conference
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Refund 50% of the applying fees
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> 2 weeks before the conference
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Refund 25% of the applying fees
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< 2 weeks before the conference
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No refund
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In the unlikely event that Polymers 2026 Conference Secretariat shall deem it necessary to cancel the conference, all pre-paid registration fees will be reimbursed. Polymers 2026 Conference Secretariat shall not be liable for reimbursing the cost of travel or accommodation arrangements made by individual delegates.
Photographs and/or video will be taken during the conference
By taking part in this event you grant the event organizers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity or other purposes to help achieve the conference’s aims. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity, social media, press releases and funding applications.
Payment methods
Wire transfer, Credit card
Currencies accepted by this event
Swiss francs (CHF) , Euros (EUR) , US dollars (USD) , Pounds sterling (GBP) , Japanese yen (JPY) , Canadian dollars (CAD) , Singapore dollars (SGD) and Chinese yuan (CNY)
Publication Opportunity
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Polymers Publication
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the Special Issue in Polymers, with a 20% discount on the Article Processing Fees (APC).
There is no guarantee of the publication in Polymers journal (EISSN 2073-4360, Impact Factor 4.9, CiteScore 9.7). All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
Please note if you have IOAP/association discounts, conference discounts will be combined with IOAP/association discounts. Conference discounts cannot be combined with reviewer vouchers.
Event Awards
To recognize outstanding contributions presented in the form of posters and presentations, the Best Poster Awards, sponsored by the journal Polymers, will be presented at the conference. Based on evaluations by the organizing committee, the top 5-10 posters will each receive an award of 500 CNY.
The final number of awards will be determined based on the total number of submissions.
Visa Information
- Onward/return ticket;
- Entry facilities to next destination;
- Sufficient funds to stay in China;
- Visa for China (*if applicable).
Visa-free policy
Unilateral visa-free policy: Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan.
Mutual visa-free policy: The United Arab Emirates, Barbados, Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Mauritius, San Marino, Seychelles, Serbia, Tonga, Belarus, Qatar, Armenia, Albania, Dominica, Suriname, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Antigua and Barbuda, Solomon Islands.
List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries
If, for visa purposes, you require an invitation letter to allow you to travel to China, please email polymers2026@mdpi.com the following details to the conference secretariat:
- Name (as it appears on your passport);
- Passport number;
- Nationality;
- Date and Place of Birth;
- Place of Issue;
- Date of Issue: dd/mm/yyyy;
- Expiration Date: dd/mm/yyyy;
- Country of departure;
- Job title;
- Organization;
- Mailing address;
- Email.
Guide To China
1. Preparations Before Departure
1.1. Credentials/Documents
(a) Passport
(b) Visa if needed
1.2. Daily Necessities
(a) Masks, medicines (e.g., cold medicine/gastrointestinal medicine/anti-inflammatory medicine)
(b) Conversion plug, mobile phone card (open international traffic) 
(c) Credit card and some cash; commonly used Alipay and WeChat
2. Local Life Tips
2.1. Public Safety
Chinese police number: 110
Chinese emergency number: 120
Fire alarm number in China: 119
2.2. Common APP
(a) How to Pay
· In China, you can enjoy convenient payments with just a mobile phone. Payment services such as Alipay and Weixin Pay are available.
Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club, and Discover cards can all be added.
This is a Alipay guide video: https://youtu.be/JcUKLoNyeUQ?si=rOfa1xkOO6PTrHzh
· Large supermarkets support direct visa/master credit card payment.
· Cash. If you need cash, you can withdraw RMB cash with your bank card at an ATM with logos of the corresponding bank card organizations. You can also directly exchange at bank outlets with currency exchange signs, outlets of qualified financial institutions, or self-service kiosks. Please consult the staff for currencies available.
(b) Transportation
Search routes: Gaode Maps, Baidu Maps
Public transportation: public transportation is well developed, generally take the bus, subway, use Alipay - you can swipe the electronic card to pay for the trip.
Sponsors and Partners
Sponsorship opportunities will be included in our upcoming Sponsorship Prospectus, which will be made available on the conference website shortly. If you have any questions or wish to discuss options further, please do not hesitate to contact us at polymers2026@mdpi.com.
Organizers
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Hannah Guo
Ms. Venassa Gong
Dr. Leon Chen
Ms. Amy Cheng
Ms. Katrina Zhang
polymers2026@mdpi.com
For inquiries regarding submissions, registrations and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.
