Themed collection Polymer Chemistry Recent HOT Articles

Resolving the anonymity of plastic materials is critical for safeguarding the well-being of our natural environments and human health.

Terms used for mechanisms of polymer growth are varied and problematic; we detail here our concerns with the terms “step-growth” and “chain-growth.” Ultimately, we seek terms that are simple, accurate, and attractive to the polymer community.

Mass spectrometric approaches to polymer analysis become increasingly ineffective as average molecular weight increases. This perspective explains these fundamental limits of MS for determining molecular weight distribution of high polymers.

The objective of this mini-review article is to highlight the importance of the chemical design towards the synthesis of polymeric profluorescent nitroxides applicable as self-reporting probes.

Molecular weight distribution imposes considerable influence on the properties of polymers, making it an important parameter, impacting morphology and structural behavior of polymeric materials.

Hypersurface photolithography creates arbitrary polymer brush patterns with independent control over feature diameter, height, and spacing between features, while controlling composition along a polymer chain and between features.

This review highlights recent advances in controlled synthesis of conjugated ladder polymers using templates.

Inspired by the broad range of applications for sulfur-containing polymers, this article presents an overview regarding various ROP technologies (ROP/rROP/ROMP) which cement the importance of sulfur-containing monomers in modern polymer chemistry.

This review covers the extensive use of γ-thiolactone chemistry as a versatile and powerful tool for macromolecular engineering and the preparation of various polymer architectures, such as functional, alternating, or sequence-controlled (co)polymers.

Reversible complexation mediated polymerization (RCMP) was developed as a new class of controlled radical polymerization (CRP) using organic catalysts. In particular, photo-RCMP is among the simplest, cheapest, and most robust photoinduced CRPs.

This review article focuses on recent advances of bottlebrush copolymers prepared by a ring-opening metathesis polymerization, from synthesis efforts to properties and applications.

This review focuses on end-functionalized polymers synthesized by controlled/living radical polymerizations and the applications in fields including bioconjugate formation, surface modification, topology construction, and self-assembly.

As a new kind of functional material, micron-sized porous polymer microspheres are a hot research topic in the field of polymer materials.

Putting the pieces together: a guide for rational molecular design of safe, functional and renewable BPA alternatives.

A comprehensive review of all the methodologies developed for the synthesis of telechelic polyolefins is reported.

A library of polypeptides bearing fully-substituted triazoles (FT) was developed via a Cu-catalyzed multicomponent reaction (MCR), which avoided the undesired hydrogen bonding and stabilized the α-helix in a broad pH range.

Supramolecular polymeric nanotubes self-assembled from cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates are employed as general scaffolds to fabricate supramolecular FRET systems with tailorable and responsive luminescence.

A fluorescent molecular rotor is exploited as a viscosity probe to reveal heterogeneity in multi-material microstructures made by two-photon polymerization. These results open the door to probe the 4D character of active 3D microstructures.

Digital light 3D printing of biodegradable elastomers with mechanical properties comparable to the ones of Sylgard-184 via dual-polymer resins.

This work targets the construction of hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) supramolecular polymeric micelles loaded with chemotherapy drugs (carmofur) and photothermal agents (IR780) for combined chemo-photothermal therapies (CT/PTT).

A new alternative synthetic route to the transition-metal free π-conjugated polyHIPEs is reported, which combines the Schiff-base condensation reaction and an emulsion-templating technology.

Nonstoichiometric polyaddition via the Co-catalyzed hydroarylation of diyne monomers with excess 1-(2-pyrimidinyl)pyrrole was demonstrated.

Several sulfonium salts as unimolecular photoinitiators can efficiently initiate UCNP-assisted direct cationic and radial/cationic photopolymerization under 980 nm NIR light irradiation.

TCPP-DMTA-COP has been synthesized and serves as a heterogeneous photocatalyst in a multipath aerobic-mediated reductive quenching pathway (O-RQP) for a PET-RAFT polymerization process.

A reversible linear-cyclic topological transformation of polymers facilitated by a long-range rotaxane switch.

Synthetic transformation of D-xylose into a four-membered cyclic ether allows for reactions with CO₂ leading to linear polycarbonates by either ring-opening copolymerisation directly or by isolation of a six-membered cyclic carbonate followed by ring-opening polymerisation.

The photoinduced intrachain crosslinking of coumarin-containing copolymers in various organic solvents was mediated through the solvophobic effect, providing control over the reaction rate and the compaction of the final single-chain nanoparticles.

Hydrogels based on acylhydrazone end-linked Tetronic T904 four-armed amphiphilic star block copolymers show thermally-induced aqueous self-assembly and toughening, and cross-link dissociation and association traceable via simple ¹H NMR spectroscopy.

Cationic RAFT of vinyl ethers was performed without reagent purification and under ambient conditions by utilizing a PCCP acid initiator with a HBD catalyst. Despite inherent nucleophiles, the system retained high chain end fidelity and modularity.

Structure of a hyperbranched polyhydrocarbon obtained by electrochemical polymerization was analyzed by various NMR techniques and modeling. The calculated physical properties from its bulk model system well matched with experimental results.

Here, a new class of ester-functionalized polychalcogenophene is reported, the poly(3-alkylesterselenophene). Moreover, a series of thiophene–selenophene copolymers were prepared.

Polysulfides cross-linked with cyclosiloxanes were synthesized, characterized and tested as solvent sorbents.

A one-pot strategy for the design of stimuli-responsive luminescent polymers has been demonstrated through Barbier PIE, where the N,N-dimethyl moiety endows the polymers with both stimuli-responsive and red-shifted nonconjugated emission properties.

Design strategies of phosphonic acid polymers established advanced ion gels with high ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, and self-healing ability via a configurable balance of ionic and hydrogen bonding interactions at the molecular level.

Porous nanostructures were derived after self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers and subsequent ozone-mediated block segment degradation. Highly ordered pores were obtained for BCP films and for coatings at cellulose fibers’ surfaces.

TADF donor-acceptor conjugates were applied as photosensitizers for organocatalyzed organic atom transfer radical polymerization. A donor-modification strategy was found to dramatically improve the control over the polymerization.

Sustainable poly(ester–amide)s derived from glycolide have been synthesized and their thermal, mechanical, and gas barrier properties have been studied by systematically changing the number of methylene groups.

Epoxy-functional sterically-stabilized diblock copolymer nanoparticles are prepared via PISA in mineral oil and then derivatized using various reagents and reaction conditions.

Recycled plastic waste based self-immolative polyurethane has been synthesized and nanoformulated for tumor relevant pH induced charge modulation, efficient guest encapsulation and triggered release in a controlled fashion.

Controlling the dispersity of PSS allows to control the performance of PEDOT:PSS in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs).

Redox-responsive polymers and polymeric coatings containing benzothiazole-disulfide groups provide facile access to reversibly functionalizable platforms.

Two chlorophyll a derivatives, namely pyropheophorbide a and its corresponding zinc(II) complex, are used as visible-light photosensitizers for free-radical photopolymerization.

A copolymer made from sulfur and dicyclopentadiene was useful as a mercury sorbent, and also as a protective and repairable coating.

Strong protic acids catalyze intermolecular transesterification in reversible polyester syntheses even at low temperatures (109 °C), an important aspect not considered in the original Jacobson–Stockmayer theory of reversible polycondensations.

Novel dual thermoresponsive N-cyanoethylacrylamide (CEAm)-based (co)polymers synthesized by RAFT polymerization display a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) in water.

Highly branched and narrowly dispersed polyethylenes with high or ultra-high molecular weights are accessible using the depicted nickel precatalyst/activator combinations.

Efficient exchange of Br in iron-catalyzed ATRP in anisole provided well-controlled polymers with low dispersity as opposed to the Cl-based initiating system, which resulted in large dispersities due to the slower activation/deactivation with Cl.

Computational studies show that the activity of ATRP catalysts can be dramatically improved using quinuclidine bridgehead ligands.

A series of acridinium salts with high excited-state oxidative power are employed as photoredox organocatalysts for photomediated cationic RAFT and DT polymerizations under visible light.

Rational design of comb-like and linear conjugates comprising PNIPAM and PDMAEMA segments allows the construction of a multi-tunable hierarchical self-assembly platform and insight into the topology effect.

A facile synthesis of branched polymers with regulated molecular weights, low dispersity and freely tuned branching densities is reported.

Additive manufacturing of phenolic resins as a proof-of-concept for the first photo-chemical induced polycondensation by Hot Lithography. Through the dual use of a photoacidgenerator, the first pure 3D printing of Bakelite^© is investigated.

First example of a redox stable conducting polymer with a rhodamine backbone.

Two luminescent film sensors constructed from new lanthanide coordination polymers based on a new tetra-monodentated ligand for ratiometric detection of Zn²⁺ and NH₃ in water were developed.

We developed new macromolecular engineering approaches enabling the preparation of star-shaped and antimicrobial polypeptoids by ring-opening polymerization.

Barbier polymerization is realized at room-temperature with single-atom polymerization and polymerization-induced emission characteristics, which exhibits capability on sensitive explosive detection and artificial light-harvesting system fabrication.

For amine, hydroxyl and carboxyl terminated initiators, the organobase 1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidine (TMG) catalyzes the rapid polymerization to afford polypeptides with controllable molecular weights and dispersities.

The living and controlled copolymerization of α-NCAs and α-NNTAs enables the facile synthesis of peptide/peptoid hybrid polymers with an alternating-like distribution of residues and adjustable proteolysis by varying the proportion of peptoid residues.

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization has been exploited to design silica-nanoparticle-incorporated photocurable resins for 3D printing of materials with enhanced mechanical properties and complex structures.

The mechanism of co-assembly of different aromatic dipeptides has been studied using a combination of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. At an equimolar ratio, the kinetics of the process is favored giving rise to alternate copolymers.

The generation of high-performance materials under benign conditions is very much needed in the efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of oil and gas explorations.

Ring-Opening Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly (ROPISA) of N-carboxyanhydride is an efficient one-step process to obtain nanomaterials made of polypeptides.

A very small amount of a palladium benzylic complex as initiator brings about the vinylic addition polymerization of the reluctant 5-vinyl-2-norbornene.

We report a method to efficiently prepare multisegmented polymers via a combination of step-growth (SG) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.

Well-defined doubly pH-responsive schizophrenic diblock copolymer nanoparticles with tunable isoelectric points are prepared via RAFT aqueous dispersion polymerization using an efficient one-pot protocol.

Incorporation of long branches, such as 1-hexene or 1-octene, in syndiotactic polypropylene gives novel elastomeric materials, whose crystallization behavior and elastic properties can be easily tailored through tuning of the branches concentration.

Using a non-ionic steric stabilizer for the RAFT aqueous emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate leads to flocculated nanoparticles when targeting DPs > 100; there is no such constraint when employing an anionic stabilizer block.

We report copper-catalyzed intermolecular azide-trifluoromethylation of the alkenyls of PB without any chain degradation and crosslinking.

Renewable resources can provide a range of different polysaccharide blocks that can be used to prepare new types of stimuli-responsive polysaccharide-based block copolymers.

We present the synthesis development of amphiphilic, degradable poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) analogue block copolymers in a modular fashion utilizing the strain-promoted azide–alkyne cycloaddition (SPAAC).