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The ability to rapidly functionalize polymers is vital for application development. Here, a method for the introduction of masked ketenes into monomers for both ring-opening metathesis and radical-type polymerizations is described. These ketenes — a group previously underexploited in polymer chemistry — allow both crosslinking and post-polymerization functionalization of the polymers.

Complex nanoscale patterns can be generated by combining the self-assembly of block-copolymer thin films with minimal top-down templating.

Many lab-on-a-chip applications use microarrays for the high-throughput screening of a range of materials, including biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, as well as living cells. To address some of the limitations of traditional printed microarrays, researchers have now developed robust hydrogel-based systems with thiol-ene chemistry that enables different covalent attachment strategies to be implemented in an orthogonal fashion.

A cytocompatible controlled radical polymerization method has now been developed that initiates polymer synthesis directly on the surface of living cells. This method achieves significantly enhanced polymer grafting and enables active manipulation of cellular phenotypes.

A fluorescence-activated cell sorter is used to purify microparticles from colloidal mixtures.

Rechargeable batteries with sodium metal anodes are promising as energy-storage systems despite safety concerns related to reactivity and dendrite formation. Solvent-free perfluoropolyether-based electrolytes are now reported for safe and stable all-solid-state sodium metal batteries.

Moving beyond binary responses in photoswitches necessitates the introduction of new elements along their switching pathway. Now, a modified donor–acceptor Stenhouse adduct (DASA) capable of independently addressing multiple molecular states has been developed. This enables the transformation of a three-stage photoswitch to be controlled by regulating intermediates along the DASA reaction pathway.

Responsive hydrogels are of interest for a range of potential applications, including microscale soft robotic and biomedical devices. Now, a versatile fabrication approach has been developed to prepare patterned, multi-material and multi-responsive hydrogels. Pre-gel droplets are connected through lipid bilayers in predetermined architectures and photopolymerized to yield continuous hydrogel structures that respond to a variety of stimuli.

To maximize your scientific career, it is essential to establish research networks and build upon a multitude of mentoring relationships. At the heart of these networks, each scientist has the potential to benefit from the influence and satisfaction of being a mentor and a mentee.

Difficulties in controlling the nucleation and growth of thin films of organic semiconductors have impaired progress in organic electronics. Now, efficient control of the crystallite nucleation and microstructure of a broad range of organic semiconductors without detriment to their electronic properties has been achieved through the addition of small quantities of additives—a widely used strategy in bulk polymer crystallization.

Incorporating fluorine into battery components can improve the energy density, safety and cycling stability of rechargeable batteries. This Review explores the broad use of fluorinated compounds in battery design, examines the relationship between their chemical structure and battery performance and discusses the challenges and opportunities of fluorinated batteries within the present regulatory framework.

Functionalized colloidal particles are fascinating due to their huge range of potential and reported applications. In this focus review, the recent development of a novel “interfacial photoreaction” for the preparation of functional polymer particles is summarized. This approach allows for the direct fabrication of hollow, capsular, non-spherical polymer particles from spherical polymer particles. Furthermore, the ability of this approach to synthesize morphology controlled particles possessing sophisticated functions, such as stimuli responsiveness and molecular recognition capability, was also described in this paper.

This focused review is an overview of recent research on bio-based polymers produced by the controlled/living polymerization of naturally occurring or derived renewable monomers, such as terpenes, phenylpropanoids and itaconic derivatives. The judicious choice of initiating system, such as controlled/living cationic or radical polymerization, which was borrowed from conventional petrochemical monomers, not only allowed the polymerization to proceed efficiently but also produced well-defined bio-based polymers with high performance from these renewable monomers.

Because of importance of anions as analyte in diverse fields, a reliable and practical method that allows simple and rapid anion detection has been in increasing demand. To satisfy this requirement, many efforts have been made to develop optical anion sensor materials for sensor applications. This article reviews recent progress in the design and fabrication of conjugated polymer-based anion sensors. Through rational molecular design of the sensor polymers, certain structures have been found to possess desirable anion detection abilities, including enhanced binding affinity, strict size specificity and applicability to anions in an aqueous environment.