Next Generation of Polymer Researchers

摘要

Celebrating 80 years of Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, we are thrilled to introduce this special issue on the Next Generation of Polymer Researchers. MCP was founded in 1943 by Hermann Staudinger, who introduced the revolutionary concept of molecular base units linked together by covalent bonds to furnish high molecular weight materials in 1920. Like Staudinger himself back then, early-career researchers have often been the powerhouses at the forefront of groundbreaking discoveries in the field of polymer science and engineering. This special issue features 40 cutting-edge articles (two Perspectives, six Reviews, and 32 Research Articles) from early-career researchers residing in 12 distinct countries worldwide. After 80 years, macromolecules are crucial now more than ever, as they have become woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. This special issue introduces new synthetic approaches to tailor macromolecules in both their form across different length scales and their diverse functionality. In turn, macromolecules in this issue address pressing societal problems—from medicine to sustainability. Beyond synthetic materials, the articles herein showcase the unique behaviors of biomacromolecules. Finally, the machine-learning frontier is featured in the age of artificial intelligence, a capability that Hermann Staudinger did not have access to. The advancement of polymer synthesis represents a key strategy for future material design. In this regard, Yahui Liu, Zhishan Bo, and co-workers (2300184) demonstrate side-chain engineering as an effective strategy for wide bandgap polymer donors that improves the sunlight-to-electricity efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Yaofeng Yuan, Chunyan Chi, Yunfeng Deng, and co-workers (2300220) developed a new quinoidal building block that incorporates indandione as an electron-withdrawing terminal group to facilitate n-type transport in organic thin-film transistors. Akimitsu Narita and co-workers (2300345) have reported the unprecedented on-surface interchain coupling and skeletal rearrangement of indenofluorene polymers. The strategy is promising in fabricating a wider variety of π-conjugated polymers and carbon nanostructures as well as rarely explored organometallic nanoribbons. These examples showcase the power of synthesis in electronically active materials. Serter Luleburgaz, Umit Tunca, and Hakan Durmaz (2300063) report on the utility of reductive etherification reactions to prepare polyethers, providing a review that covers work dating back to its initial implementation in macromolecules in 1993. Through the combination of carbonyl groups, reducing silanes, and Bronsted or Lewis acids, a diverse array of polyether products have been unveiled via direct polymerization and post-polymerization modification approaches. Going forward, such polyethers hold potential to advance a myriad of applications, from cosmetics to medicine. Matthias Hartlieb and co-workers (2300274) show how photo-iniferter (PI)–reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization can provide additional control on the dispersity of block copolymers which could be further self-assembled into uniform fiber nanostructures with a height of 11 nm and a length of ≈300 nm. Block copolymers and their self-assembly behaviors remain a hot topic in polymer science as they can combine disparate properties into a single, multifunctional material. Friederike Adams and co-workers investigated the effect of architecture in amphiphilic comb-shaped block copolymers on self-assembly (2300226). They revealed that besides the composition, the order of blocks or molar mass has a strong impact on critical micelle concentration, morphology, and stability of the micelles. A hierarchical assembly is presented by Jing Sun and co-workers (2300198), which used an amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(N-octyl glycine) diblock copolymer that can crystallize in the hydrophobic domain. Systematic variatio