Covalent monomolecular sheets with internal long-range order (two-dimensional polymers) are a long sought-after class of synthetic macromolecules with enormous application potential. Recently, the first cases were discovered in which mild organic and inorganic synthesis procedures allowed for the creation of these intriguing targets. Several groups worldwide coming from a variety of backgrounds are at the threshold of discovering more candidates, transforming the field into a major research area. It is therefore high time to organize the first symposium on this matter, bringing key representatives to Zurich, and thus helping to pave the way for further success in this direction.

The organizers of this international symposium are convinced of the enormous future impact that two-dimensional polymers and covalent molecular sheets will have. Their congeners, the linear polymers strongly advertised by Hermann Staudinger in the early 1920s, have in the meantime conquered an enormous market which impacts the daily life of people worldwide. With the first passable trials into this novel class of polymers completed, the organizing committee intends to bring together high-caliber international specialists from all fields (chemistry, physics, theory, materials, structure analytics) to discuss the burning questions, ranging from synthesis issues to structure analytics and from properties to expected societal impact.