10 Years of <i>Macromolecular Reaction Engineering</i>

It is always exciting to reach the first significant milestone in the life of a new product, and having successfully published a newly launched journal for ten years now certainly qualifies as a good example. It is also is interesting to revisit what was said when the inaugural issue of Macromolecular Reaction Engineering (MRE) was published in 2007: “The new sister journal extends the scope of the already well-established Macromolecular Journals by emphasizing polymer reaction engineering as a crucial component in the development and improvement of polymeric materials.” and “We believe that the increasing interest of the research and industrial communities for this field of research will soon help to make Macromolecular Reaction Engineering a successful and well-established journal, also supported by the leading scientists who have joined the International Advisory Board.” Looking back at the nearly 500 papers published so far it is quite obvious that MRE indeed has developed into the leading forum for dissemination of technologies and scientific advancements in the area of reaction engineering applied to polymerization reactors. The journal over the years also has featured many appealing cover graphics representing the diversity of topics covered. A representative example for each year is presented in Figure 1. The most influential papers from this decade of scientific results (as measured by total number of citations) are collected in Table 1, where seminal work on the simulation tool Predici can be found as well as a detailed look at the history and present importance of polyamides, or the industrial relevancy of optimized polymerization methods and their control. For an interesting comparison, topics in the present focus of interest are displayed in Table 2 showing those articles that reached the highest access numbers in the last twelve months. The present special anniversary issue of Macromolecular Reaction Engineering was initiated with the aim of presenting an up-to-date account of research and developments in the field of polymer reaction engineering. All the papers in this issue have been authored by members of the journal's International Advisory Board, and we trust that this collection will provide our readers with an excellent overview of this intriguing scientific field. Before moving on to reading the individual articles, please take a moment of your time to also read the enclosed tribute that was kindly provided by João Soares and Tim McKenna, the two founding board members who were indispensable in launching Macromolecular Reaction Engineering in 2007, and have been essential supporters and of great help in continuously developing the journal ever since. Last but most certainly not least, it is my sincere pleasure to thank again those people most important for the success of Macromolecular Reaction Engineering: our authors, referees, and board members for submitting their research results and helping to select and publish the best content – and of course our readers for their continuously growing interest! A Tribute to Macromolecular Reaction Engineering It is difficult to believe that 5 years have already elapsed since we were asked to write a short editorial to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Macromolecular Reaction Engineering (MRE). Thus, it was a pleasant surprise when we received Stefan's invitation to compose a tribute to the 10th anniversary of our favorite journal. Time does indeed fly, and our toddler is already on her way to becoming a teenager in a few more years. It has been a pleasure, and a privilege, to follow closely the development of MRE over these last 10 years. Macromolecular Reaction Engineering is the only scientific journal dedicated to polymer reaction engineering, a research area that teaches us how to bring results from laboratory-scale polymerizations to industrial-scale production. The articles on new polymers and polymerization procedures that we enjoy reading in many of the other journals of the Macromolecular family will require, sooner or later, the expertise disclosed in MRE if they are to be produced efficiently, safely, and economically at industrial scale. In that sense, the youngest sister of the Macromolecular journals family is the one who brings to society the findings reported by her older siblings. Polymer reaction engineering combines fundamental principles of chemical engineering and polymer science in a collection of techniques and methods that allow us to explain how polymerization conditions affect the properties of polymers made in reactor of different sizes, configurations, and modes of operation. One of us recently attended an award talk1 that summarized chemical engineering in 3 basic principles: 1) How fast?, 2) How far?, and 3) How to? We believe that this elegant classification defines well the scope of articles covered in MRE, as the main objective of polymer reaction engineers is to quantify how polymerization kinetics, mass and heat transfer, and fluid dynamics (how fast) affect polymerization so we can design efficient and safe reactors to make polymers with controlled properties (how to) under existing thermodynamic constraints (how far). Back in the first issue of MRE in 2007, Piet Lemstra wrote an interesting essay (one we suggest readers go back and consult!) entitled “Macromolecular Reaction Engineering, the Chain-of-Knowledge Approach”2. In the conclusion, he stated “The broken chain- of-knowledge between academia and the plastic industry is in my view a fact, but on the horizon there are ample opportunities for new activities to materialize ideas and concepts, initially starting at a small scale of operation. In this respect, the new journal Macromolecular Reaction Engineering has a bright future …” We are very pleased to say that once again, Piet was right. And he was right because so many scientists and engineers from around the globe shared this vision. Both of us would like to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues who have supported MRE over the last 10 years. Authors always face many alternatives when they decide to submit their articles for publication. Selecting one journal among many options is a decision made considering the scope of the journal, the quality of the papers published in that journal, and the professionalism of the editorial team. The latter is undeniably an easy decision when authors consider MRE, since the staff in the Wiley-VCH office abides by the highest international standards. I think we speak for most of the polymer reaction engineering community when we say that the quality of papers published in MRE is also up to the highest standards in polymer science and engineering. Therefore, what remains to be discussed is the scope of MRE: polymer reaction engineering may be seen as a niche area, but it is one that needs our continued support due to the impact it has on industry and society at large. We think we can argue convincingly that without polymerization reaction engineering new discoveries in polymer science made in laboratories all over the world would never see the light of industrial production; thus, we would fail to bring the benefits of our most exciting discoveries to the whole society. We are convinced that MRE helps us achieve this ultimate objective. In conclusion, we wish our still young Macromolecular Reaction Engineering much success in the years to come, and look forward to writing another editorial when she reaches her landmark 15th anniversary.

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