Emerging investigators

It is a great pleasure for Polymer Chemistry to be publishing its 2015 Emerging Investigators issue. Since our journal started five years ago we have focussed on the new and emerging scientists from around the world who we believe are always producing the most exciting science. We have been very pleased and impressed with how the journal has managed to foster a sense of ownership amongst the newest and brightest polymer chemists.

This issue once again features some outstanding work from all areas of the world and in all of our most exciting subject areas. Applications in the nanomedicine and bioconjugation are well represented with an excellent article on polymer-protein conjugation via a ‘grafting to’ approach with a comprehensive comparative study of the performance of protein-reactive RAFT chain transfer agents from Bruno De Geest (10.1039/C4PY01224K) and an article from Peter Roth describing the synthesis and aqueous solution properties of sulfobutylbetaine (co)polymers with a comparison of the synthetic routes and tuneable upper critical solution temperatures (10.1039/C5PY00160A). Whilst Becer makes great advances in sugar containing polymers with a description of glyconanoparticles and their interactions with lectins (10.1039/C5PY00089K)

We see the continued popularity of investigations into monomer sequence control from Junkers looking at the efficiency of ‘Single Unit Monomer Insertion Reactions for Monomer Sequence Control: Kinetic Simulations and Experimental Observations’ (10.1039/C5PY00485C) and Crespy using the chemical encoding of amphiphilic copolymers to allow for controlled release (10.1039/C4PY01159G). Photochemistry is becoming an increasingly popular choice for synthesis and this is reflected by articles from Boyer with his latest use of photo-RAFT (10.1039/C4PY01317D) and Patton using photochemistry for the synthesis of sub-100 nm polymer nanoparticles via thiol–ene miniemulsion photopolymerization using click chemistry (10.1039/C4PY01449A) with Poly describing polymers synthesized by RAFT as versatile macrophotoinitiators (10.1039/C5PY00608B) and with continued excellent work finding new uses for controlled radical polymerisation from Matson reporting the ‘Synthesis of bottlebrush polymers via transfer-to and grafting-through approaches using a RAFT chain transfer agent with a ROMP-active Z-group’ (10.1039/C4PY01567C) and Nicolas using NMRP in his work on the ‘Structure–control relationship of amide-functionalized SG1-based alkoxyamines for nitroxide-mediated polymerization and conjugation’ (10.1039/C5PY00283D).

The increased activity in the area of sustainability and the use of renewable feedstocks is reflected by excellent articles from Epps using controlled radical polymerisation in his article ‘RAFT polymerization and associated reactivity ratios of methacrylate-functionalized mixed bio-oil constituents’ (10.1039/C5PY00291E). Perhaps the most popular area is in self-assembly and the synthesis of nanoparticles via different routes for diverse applications. Terashima describes the synthesis of ‘Fluorinated microgel star polymers as fluorous nanocapsules for encapsulation and release of perfluorinated compounds’ (10.1039/C5PY00113G), Schacher workes on ‘Amphiphilic polyether-based block copolymers as crosslinkable ligands for Au-nanoparticles’ (10.1039/C4PY01434K, Berda utilises a novel ‘Intra-chain radical chemistry as a route to poly(norbornene imide) single-chain nanoparticles: structural considerations and the role of adventitious oxygen’ (10.1039/C5PY00265F). It is interesting to note the increased work in the area of gels from both self-assembly and other methods with work from Wang on the self-assembly of benzothiadiazole (10.1039/C5PY00239G), Kharkar using photo Michael addition (10.1039/C5PY00750J), and Seiffert (10.1039/C4PY01677G) and Walther on polyelectrolyte microgels (10.1039/C5PY00426H).

The journal continues to attract the highest quality work in the area of polymer electronics across all sub-fields on electronic transport in non aqueous electrolytes (Helms, 10.1039/C5PY00639B), optoelectronic behaviour (Braunschweig, 10.1039/C5PY00420A) and dendronised hyperbranched polymers for NLO applications (Zhen Li, 10.1039/C5PY00155B). We also see an increasingly diverse area of applications with work directed towards chemosensing (Tanaka, 10.1039/C5PY00055F), bacterial adhesion and anti biofouling (Rodriguez-Emmenegger, 10.1039/C5PY00197H), melt coextruded fibre production (Pokorski, 10.1039/C5PY00197H) and low-humidity proton conducting membranes (Yameen, 10.1039/C5PY00514K).

New polymerisation methodologies and new applications of synthesis are very well represented by the hydrothermal polymerization of polyimides (Unterlass, 10.1039/C5PY00231A), click chemistry continues to be popular (Qin, 10.1039/C5PY00186B) as well as a beautiful carbosilane toolbox (Gallei, 10.1039/C5PY00065C) and cationic vinyl-addition and ring-opening copolymerization of vinyl ethers and oxiranes (Aoshima, 10.1039/C5PY00152H). It is also pleasing to see simulation represented (Guillaneuf, 10.1039/C5PY00229J).

Thus this year we have over 30 of our favourite emerging investigators showcasing some of their best work in what we hope is rapidly becoming the journal in the field. We are delighted that these authors appreciate our fast times to publication and the wide access to a global readership gives their work the highest visibility. We hope you readers agree with us that this is an impressive body of work and we hope you enjoy reading. Thank you to all of the contributors for making this a pleasure to be part of.

David Haddleton, Warwick University, UK

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