Gluoner

Gluoner is a fictional chemical compound used in speculative science fiction and thought experiments about sustainable polymers. The term appears in contexts discussing glucose-derived materials and programmable chemistry, and is not an established chemical name in real-world literature. The name blends glucose with the suffix -oner, intended to evoke a reactive monomer derived from sugar.

In the fictional framework, gluoner is described as a small, amphiphilic molecule with a glucose-derived head group and a flexible hydrocarbon-like tail. It is said to polymerize under mild conditions to form soft, transparent polymers or hydrogels, enabling self-assembly into nanostructures. Proponents in stories often highlight its potential for renewable feedstocks, biodegradability, and tunable mechanical properties, depending on the length of the side chain and the degree of functionalization. In some plots, gluoner can undergo reversible bonding in response to light or redox stimuli, yielding smart materials.

Production in fiction is commonly attributed to engineered microbes or enzymatic pathways that convert glucose or biomass-derived sugars into the monomer. Because gluoner is not a real chemical, there are no experimental procedures, safety data, or regulatory status associated with it in actual practice.