The 5th International Symposium on Porous Organic Polymers (POPs 2025) was successfully held from August 24 to 28 in Enshi, Hubei Province. Jointly organized by Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Jianghan University, the symposium attracted over 300 top scholars, researchers, and industry representatives from 15 countries and regions, including China, the UK, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Singapore, to discuss cutting-edge scientific issues and future trends in the field of porous organic polymers.

The opening ceremony took place on the morning of August 25. Attendees included Zhang Mingming, Vice Governor of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture; Liu Jiyan, Vice President of Jianghan University; Wu Jiang‘e, Party Committee Secretary of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology; and Li Guoxiang, Dean of the School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Hubei Minzu University. The ceremony was presided over by Professor Tan Bien, Dean of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Chair of the conference.

The symposium featured various forms of academic exchange, including keynote speeches, oral presentations, and poster sessions, providing a broad platform for researchers, educators, industry professionals, and students in the field. Experts and scholars from around the world engaged in in-depth discussions on the latest research advances in porous organic polymers, covering the synthesis, structural properties, and applications of various materials such as conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), hypercrosslinked porous polymers (HCPs), and polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs). The discussions spanned multiple hot application areas, including pollutant removal, carbon dioxide capture and utilization, catalysis, gas adsorption and separation, membrane development, energy storage and conversion, and nanomedicine. The conference also attracted relevant enterprises to exhibit the latest scientific instruments and technological products, promoting deeper integration of industry, academia, and research.

As a premier global academic exchange platform in the field, the International Symposium on Porous Organic Polymers has been held four times since its inception in Zhangjiajie, China, in 2017, with subsequent conferences taking place in Germany, the United States, and Saudi Arabia, generating broad impact in both academic and industrial circles. The successful hosting of this conference will not only advance academic research in porous organic polymers but also inject new vitality into global scientific collaboration and industrial development in the field, further enhancing China’s influence in international porous materials research.