Front Cover: A side chain polyrotaxane with photoresponsive and nonresponsive recognition sites linked with a long linker is synthesized. The photoregulated switching of the position of the rotor, α-cyclodextrin, in the side chain polyrotaxane is realized. Further details can be found in the article by J. Hu, A. Hashidzume, and A. Harada* on page 1032.

Fe(0) powder is used as the reducing agent in the AGET ATRP of methyl methacrylate catalyzed by FeCl₃·6H₂O/PPh₃ in the absence or presence of a limited amount of air. The molecular weights of the obtained polymers and molar-mass dispersity (≈1.3) are close to the corresponding theoretical values.

It is demonstrated how PGSE NMR data can be used to derive MW and MWD of a polymer sample. The sensitivity and relative error of the method are discussed, and its applicability is illustrated by analyzing the experimental NMR response curve of three PEO samples. The method is shown to be simple, numerically robust, and reliable.

A strategy for the fabrication of columnar supramolecular polymer is provided by simple addition of two oppositely charged discotic conjugated monomers. Studies indicate that π-π interactions ensure a highly directional columnar stacking of monomeric units and make ions preferentially interact with the oppositely charged ion of the next layer. Conversely, forming multiple ionic bonds effectively promotes π stacking of building blocks and makes the column more stable.

The formation of a rotaxane architecture modifies the optoelectronic, morphological, and adhesion properties of fluorene/bithiophene copolymers. This shows that either rotaxane formation causes no deaggregating effect on the copolymers or that the rotaxane copolymer is not prone to aggregation in both solution and thin films. Rotaxane formation leads to improved thermal stability and a blue shift in absorption.

By using photoresponsive complex formation of α-cyclodextrin with an azobenzene moiety, photoregulated switching of the position of the rotor in a side chain polyrotaxane is realized. This system is a potential building block for artificial muscles.

The electropolymerization of a nanostructured layer-by-layer (LbL) film enables interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) formation in a very quantitative manner. Oppositely charged polyelectrolyte precursors facilitate formation of IPN of π-conjugated polymers or simply conjugated polymer network (CPN) films by electropolymerization. UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, QCM, ellipsometry, EIS, and AFM are used to characterize the films.

A new 1,2,3-triazole incorporated diacrylate monomer is designed for free radical cyclopolymerization through the formation of eleven-membered rings. Structural analysis of the cyclopolymers based on NMR analysis including ¹H, ¹³C, DEPT-135, and ¹H–¹³C HMQC spectra supports a high degree of cyclization. GPC profiles of the cyclopolymers show unimodal distributions indicative of no chain branching reactions.

Backbone-thermoresponsive hyperbranched poly[glycerol- co-3-methyl-3- (hydroxymethyl)oxetane] with low cytotoxicity is synthesized by one-step random copolymerization of glycidol and 3-methyl-3-(hydroxymethyl)oxetane (MHO). LCST is readily adjusted by changing the feed ratio of glycidol to MHO. This novel, thermoresponsive hyperbranched polyglycerol is a promising functional material for biomedical applications.

The phase-separation kinetics and mechanism of aqueous MC solutions in the presence of 5% NaCl are discussed. The scattering peak shows that phase separation occurs by spinodal decomposition. The spinodal temperature is determined using CHC theory. In the late stage of phase separation, the dynamic structural factor collapses into a universally time-independent curve.

Poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVS) has a high acid density (IEC=9.2 meq·g⁻¹) and is the solid-state organic analog of sulfuric acid. Radical polymerization of the acid form of vinylsulfonic acid is kinetically investigated. PVS with a high molecular weight is obtained as a transparent membrane and shows a high proton-conductivity under both hydrated and nonhumidified conditions.

Polymer systems exhibiting a wide range of mean coil size are presented. These multivalent polymers of hyperbranched polyethylenimine (PEI) covalently attached to cyclodextrin (CD) are synthesized and characterized. Different spacer lengths and its influence on the agglomeration behavior are demonstrated.