Separation and characterization of materials is an essential step in the advancement of science and technology. The need for separation and characterization could arise from wishes to obtain purified samples with less contaminants, requirements for quality control of materials for downstream applications, or needs to identify structures and conformations of active species present in the applications. The types of materials encountered in applications are diverse, from synthetic polymers and biological derived biopolymers to micro or submicro particles and various conjugated or self-assembled nanomaterials. This makes the task of separation and characterization challenging. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Scientists, whether working in academia or in industries, are constantly facing new challenges. Communication between scientists is essential for keeping each other updated on developments in the field. This was the motivation for organizing the symposium on "Recent Progress in Separation of Macromolecules and Particulates" at the 2017 Spring National American Chemical Society (ACS) Meeting in San Francisco. Symposiums based on such a theme have been organized several times in ACS meetings as well as in other settings, but no such symposium books have been published. Hence, the editors decided to put together this symposium book, based on the talks presented at the symposium, in the hope that knowledge shared at the meeting can be shared more broadly within the community and beyond.
