Front Cover: Polyglycolide of high molecular weight is synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of diglycolide in bulk, using a bismuth catalyst. The reactions are fast, leading to full conversion in around 10 minutes, depending on reaction temperature and catalyst concentration. The product is obtained as a white material that does not show any signs of thermal decomposition, and melting temperature as well as crystallinity are independent of molecular weight. Further details can be found in the article by Y. Lu, C. Schmidt, and S. Beuermann* on page 395.

Back Cover: Ionic liquids have been widely successful in many applications; here, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate is demonstrated to be an effective initiator for electro-induced polymerization of vinyl ethers. This reaction was studied by the versatile technique Fourier-transform near-infrared spectroscopy, offering advantages over other, more complicated and more time-consuming methods. Using ionic liquids as electro-polymerization initiators has potential applications in the development of anti-corrosion coatings for metal pipes. Further details can be found in the article by F. Yang, J. L. Yang, K. J. Zheng, J. W. Stansbury, and J. Nie* on page 380.

Different pathways for development of nanostructured and advanced materials are summarized, based on the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as multifunctional agents of polymer matrices. The true potential of ILs in the design of new polymeric materials with unprecedented mechanical per­formance, thermal stability, and barrier properties is highlighted.

A novel family of bifunctional organo­iron dendrimers is designed. The three generations of dendrimers are redox- and photoactive. The photoactivity increases with dendrimer generation. Cyclic voltammetry results suggest electrochemically non-interacting iron centers.

The ionic liquid BMIMBF₄ is found to be an efficient initiator for electro-induced cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers. Indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glasses, which allow transmission in near-infrared spectroscopy, are used for investigating the kinetics of the polymerization. The mechanism of the Lewis acid being formed by a proton being combined through electrolysis of a trace amount of water is postulated.

Ionic liquids (ILs) speed-up the imine base acrylate (IBA) polymerization. IL traces catalyze the IBA polymerization depending on the IL···zwitterion interaction strength.

Ring-opening polymerizations of diglycolide with diphenyl bismuth bromide as catalyst are carried out in bulk, leading to polymers with molecular weights up to 250 kg mol⁻¹. Typical reaction temperatures are 130–150 °C and reaction times are within 5–20 min.

The presence and evaluation of secondary nucleation is reported in 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA-) rich latex, synthesized via a semibatch emulsion polymerization process. 20 mol% HEMA in monomer composition is found to yield a high number of secondary particles, which can be detected by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, or ultrasound acoustic attenuation spectroscopy.

Metalloporphyrins are extensively utilized as biomimetic cytochrome P450 models for catalytic oxidation. However, most metalloporphyrins are hydrophobic. PEGylated-metalloporphyrin nano­particles are prepared via a combination of controlled radical polymerization, reactive ester-amine reaction, and in situ self-assembly and “click” cross-linking. The resulting PEGylated-metalloporphyrin nanoparticles in water exhibit a higher catalytic activity than the dissolved metallo­porphyrin in organic solvent.

New symmetrically poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-decorated triglycerides of fatty acid (TAG) are synthesized and proposed as drug-encapsulation systems. The TAG structure is modified by grafting of PEG chains of different lengths (1000, 550, and 220 Da). MTT assay on the murine macrophage shows the absence of cytotoxic effects. Encapsulation of itraconazole is carried out. Antifungal activity is studied on Candida albicans cells.

A new nanomaterial is obtained by end-linking a poly(ethylene glycol) with a linear octapeptide with a regular alternating enantiomeric sequence. The hybrid conjugate self-assembles in water, forming well-defined nanorods having core/shell morphology, in which the hydrophobic peptide single-channel core is embedded in high density poly(ethylene glycol) blocks.

Inspired by mussels and sandcastle worms, catechol and bis-phosphoric acid groups are simultaneously grafted onto polyoxetane by a click reaction to obtain water-soluble adhesives, which are used for humid bonding. Not only the catechol, but also the bis-phosphoric acid groups interact with Fe³⁺, which accounts for the improved adhesion performance in humid conditions.

A simple strategy for preparing thermo­responsive gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is presented, showing positive UCST-type thermo­responsivity by grafting trithiocarbonate chain-end-functionalized poly(N-acryloylglycinamide) onto the AuNP surface in phosphate buffered saline. The UCST-type phase transition is reversible for many cycles. Reversible control of the phase transition is proved by turbidity measurements and UV–vis spectroscopy, as well as by transmission electron microscopy.