Themed collection Polymer Chemistry 15th Anniversary Collection

An editorial from Christine Luscombe and Maria Southall on the celebration of Polymer Chemistry's 15th anniversary.

Recent studies using multicomponent reactions to construct hydrogels have been reviewed.

Patterning materials have advanced significantly to achieve high-resolution fabrication of integrated circuits for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Emerging trends in the chemistry of polymeric resists for EUV lithography are summarized.

Hydrolysis stability of labile linkages in polymers can be tuned through careful selection of substituent groups near these linkages to selectively release active substances.

Polymers based on 1,3-diene monomers play a pivotal role in many commercial elastomers and thermoplastic elastomers. This review summarizes the state of the art and recent developments in the living anionic polymerization of dienes.

Here we report the modelling of thermally initiated RAFT step-growth polymerization kinetics of maleimide and acrylate monomers with bifunctional RAFT agents bearing tertiary carboxyalkyl-stabilized fragmentable R groups.

The influence of solvent quality on block copolymer self assembly is studied in detail using SANS online monitoring.

The CF₃TMS adduct of anthraquinone reacts with diphenyl ether via a superacid-catalysed step-growth polymerisation to give a polymer (BTFMA-DPE) with promise for making gas separation membranes.

A radical promoted cationic reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of various vinyl ethers via photo electron transfer reaction was developed and applied in photocuring.

This work demonstrates that incorporating Janus-faced supramolecular moieties in vinylogous urethane vitrimers improved dimensional stability while conserving the hallmark vitrimer property of reprocessability.

This article reports the first organic dual-initiating FLP catalyst based on borane and commercially available bisphosphine for living polymerizations of (bio)acrylates to facilitate the synthesis of metal-free multiblock copolymers.

Mucus-inspired hydrogels possessing self-healing and anti-oxidative properties were prepared via dynamic phenylboronic ester chemistry between natural mucin and a zwitterionic copolymer.

The second-order nonlinear optical effect was largely enhanced by gradually introducing alkoxy chains, mainly due to the low rotational barriers and moderate isolation effect to facilitate molecular rotations of chromophore moieties.

ZnEt₂ is used for the first time as a reversible transfer agent in olefin polymerization with a neodymium metallocene catalyst. Its presence has improved the catalyst's performance for the coordinative chain transfer polymerization of ethylene.

Thermally stable copolymers of 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), a metabolic intermediate of lignin, and polydimethylsiloxane were synthesized and cross-linked by using thiol–ene click chemistry.

A supramolecular strategy has been developed to enhance through-space charge transfer by precisely regulating the spatial arrangement of donor–acceptor pairs, resulting in thermally activated delayed fluorescence with pure orange emission.

We demonstrate that tuning both the dissociation rate and the strength and cooperativity of hydrogen bonds by molecular design is important for controlling thermal stability and creep resistance in dynamic covalent materials.

A feasible method for the synthesis of non-polar periodic copolymers with precise periodic arrangements was provided.

We report that differences in ring strain enthalpy between cis and trans isomers of sila-cycloheptene provide a driving force for both polymerization and depolymerization via olefin metathesis.

PMMA-PnBA-PMMA triblock copolymers with high molar masses (M_n ∼800 kg mol⁻¹), low dispersities (Đ < 1.25) and thermoplastic elastomer properties were synthesised via photo-iniferter RAFT polymerisation.

Aromatic thiols promote rapid self-foaming of isocyanate-free polyurethane formulations at room temperature under catalyst-free conditions.

Surface modification of nanoparticles involves numerous types of active molecules such as DNA, antibodies, enzymes or carbohydrates.

Towards PFAS-free high-conducting proton exchange membranes based on poly(ionic liquid)s.

Epoxy thermoset materials are widely used in electrical engineering, but it is a challenge to degrade and recycle traditional epoxy thermoset wastes. In this work, an effective method was proposed to recycle anhydride-cured epoxy thermoset wastes.

We offer a rational study of simple synthesis of porous organic polymers which impregnate their own reducing sites of Ag⁺ into Ag nanoparticles at the meantime we utilized these nanocomposites for reducing hazardous pollutants.

A novel multicomponent polymerization strategy using diverse monomer combinations of isocyanides, sulfonyl azides, and alcohols/phenols was developed to synthesize thermally and morphologically stable and heteroatom-rich poly(sulfonyl isourea)s.

Cell membranes are vital barriers that regulate the composition of the intracellular environment and facilitate communication processes essential for cellular function and survival.

A method for training neural networks to predict the outcome of polymerization processes is described that incorporates fundamental chemical knowledge. This permits generation of data-driven predictive models with limited datasets.

The influence of solvent on radical copolymerization kinetics is studied to provide insight to emulsion polymerization systems.

The aggregation states of polymer chains at solid interfaces are strongly related to their adhesion properties.

In recent years, poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) have become a sought-after biomaterial to replace PEG. Endcapping POx with BlocBuilder MA enables copolymerization with a variety of vinylic monomers, producing unique POx-vinyl block copolymer combinations.

Heterogeneous photocatalysts (PCs) have garnered attention for their sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

A versatile and facile platform is developed for the generation of uniform π-conjugated nanofibers with controlled length and varying shells by the combination of pentafluorophenyl ester chemistry and a self-seeding strategy.

Understanding the effect of ortho-blocked and ortho-free vitrimeric polybenzoxazines incorporating Schiff chemistry for close loop recyclability.

Two libraries of BCPs with an A-block-(B-stat-C) architecture having hydroxy and methacrylate pendant groups are synthesized. Constructed phase diagrams reveal that small changes in polymer composition significantly impact the morphological behavior.

A new family of photoredox catalysts, sulfur-doped anthanthrenes (SDAs), have been successfully developed for metal-free O-ATRP and PET-RAFT polymerization under visible light and even green light.

The imide-yne reaction is demonstrated as a new and robust method to produce a variety of polyimide-based polymers, expanding the toolkit of X-yne click polymerizations based on activated alkynes.

We have discovered that the mechanical properties of norbornene-based random copolymers can be greatly altered by making subtle differences in the placement of hydrogen-bonding groups within the repeat unit structure.

The light-induced conformational change in the chain-end group chemistry substantially alters the ionic junctions, leading to a phase structural difference from hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX) to lamellae (LAM) in the solid-state.

To solve the problem of the low utilization rate of fast-release water-soluble fertilizers and to minimize their environment impact, slow- release fertilizers have emerged as a sustainable solution to limit their losses and improve crop production.

Iodine-mediated chemical modification approach was developed for the facile shape transformation of block copolymer colloidal particles.

The derivatisation of D-xylose with potassium thiocyanate, then reactivity with alkyl bromides, is presented as a versatile synthetic handle towards functional synthetic carbohydrate polymers, including via post-polymerisation modifications.

Free radical polymerization (FRP) is one of the most important tools for the production of polymer materials.

Two monomers with adamantane and thermo-crosslinkable benzocyclobutene (BCB) groups have been successfully synthesized. These two monomers can be cured to form polymers with low dielectric properties at a high frequency of 10 GHz.

ω-Vinyl terminated reactive oligomers of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate (PEGMA) were synthesized via CCTP and subsequent addition–fragmentation chain transfer (AFCT) polymerization.

We have prepared single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) with fluorinated internal compartments by chain collapse of copolymers prepared via RAFT. Selective labels prove formation of nanosized compartments using fluorescence spectroscopy

Geranyl acrylate has been synthesized and polymerized by various radical polymerisation techniques.

We report the synthesis of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) coated manganese dioxide nanoparticles for the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), with the goal of developing a temperature-controlled catalytic system.

The hydrophilicity of a series of water-soluble poly(cyclic imino ether)s (PCIE) was systemically ranked to enable informed decision-making about the choice of PCIE for specific applications in the future.

Investigation of terpolymers based on two pH-responsive and thermoresponsive monomers. The effect of the position of the monomers on the thermoresponsive properties in aqueous solutions is demonstrated.

Chemoselective polymerization from a mixture of L-LA, CHO and CO₂ enables the synthesis of PLLA, PCHC or PCHC-b-PLLA achieved by PBB-Br. The chemoselectivity depends on the nature of the growing polymer chain end.

The molar fraction and ionization of acrylic acid (α_AA) in the monomer feed affect the chemical composition, the composition profile and the particle morphology in PISA.

Synthesis of polycations with C2-sterically protected imidazolium pendant groups incorporated via an olefinic backbone accompanied by accelerated hydroxide-promoted degradation studies.

Frontal polymerization is an extremely efficient and rapid method for producing bulk polymers, characterized by a self-sustaining curing front that propagates throughout the resin.

An unexplored associative dynamic exchange reaction between CO₂-sourced cyclic S,O-acetals and thiolates was investigated and utilized to create covalent adaptable networks suitable for the production of healable coatings.

ZnO–polymer core–shell nanoparticles were successfully prepared using a simple in situ open-to-air PET-RAFT method.

A modular and efficient click reaction for connecting primary and secondary alcohols with activated alkynes via carbonyl sulfide (COS) was developed. Polythiocarbonates were synthesized by the step-wise polyaddition of diols, dipropiolates, and COS.

The ROCOP of equimolar mixtures of (R)-CL^nBu/(S)-CL^Me enabled the assessment of the ROP stereocontrol ability of yttrium catalysts through the degree of alternation via detailed mass spectrometric analyses.

We introduce a light-driven methodology (λ_max = 365 nm) to fold single polymer chains into single chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) via metal-complexation.

Cyclic block copolymers with photo-cleavable linkers were prepared, allowing looped-to-linear corona transformations via UV-induced post-assembly modification, and showcasing their versatility as topology-tuned drug delivery systems.