現在，接着剤のその多くは枯渇資源である原油を原料とする樹脂から作られている。そのため，環境に負荷をかけない新規材料の開発が望まれている。石油精製の副産物として発生する硫黄は，毎年700 万トンが地上に投棄されている。硫黄含有ポリマーは，その余剰資源である硫黄から合成できるため，持続可能な開発目標（SDGs）の観点からも注目されている。また，硫黄含有ポリマーは炭素ポリマーにない特徴を有しており，今までにないポリマー材料の創成が期待される。しかし，硫黄含有ポリマーは環境負荷が高い高温条件で合成され，溶解性が低く，不安定で分子量も小さいため社会実装が困難である。本稿では，弱い相互作用による分子の自己組織化という超分子概念を硫黄含有ポリマーに導入することで，これらの問題を解決するために筆者らが最近開発した超分子硫黄含有ポリマーについて述べる。

This paper reviews the recent technical trend of SIS based Hot Melt Pressure Sensitive Adhesive and the novel asymmetric SIS for label application developed by the authors and its improved HMPSA performances. In case of low temperature performance is prioritized for SIS based adhesives, there are issues with label processability （die-cutting），which is important from the perspective of productivity, and migration of the oil blended into the adhesive. This is because there are trade-offs between low temperature performance and these two factors, and it is not possible to satisfy all of them at the same time. By controlling the novel block structure of SIS, the authors can control its Morphology to Spherical, even for SIS with high styrene content, and succeeded in developing an SIS-based HMPSA that satisfies all the performance requirements of low-temperature performance, antioil migration and high-speed die-cuttability.

Space materials used in space degradate their physical/chemical propertuies by exposing to space environemnts. There exists many environmental factors in space, i.e., radiation, ultraviolet, atomic oxygen, thermal cycling, space debris, and contamination. Degradations were observed in STS or ISS components and, thus, a number of on-orbit exposure experiments have been conducted using ISS as an in-orbit platform such as MISSE and ExHAM. Many results have been observed by these exposure experiments. However, mechanistic aspect on erosion phenomena is difficult to study by in-orbit exposures. On the other hand, ground-based simulation techniques have also been developed for many years using electron and proton beams, UV source and laser detonation atomic oxygen beam source. They are used as pre-flight assessment of materials as well as mechanistic studies for interaction of materials and space environment. In-orbit and ground-based experiments have complementary nature, and both of them are important for improving the reliability of space system. In this commentary article, space environment in low Earth orbit and its effect on materials are described based on the observed phenomena. A brief description of ground-based simulation techniques are included as well.