Front Cover: A double-layer polymer system shows mechanochromic fluorescence enhancement under strain. The synergy between a pyrene-based emissive layer and a perylene pigment optical filter enables strain sensing via light emission modulation. More details can be found in article 2500060 by Andrea Pucci, Marco Carlotti, and co-workers.

Schematic representation of the four types of chemical modifications for chitin and chitosan fibers and filaments: graft polymerization, hydroxyl group modification, amine group modification, and N-acetamide group modification, including examples of specific chemical modifications.

This review article discusses Crystallization-Driven Self-Assemblies (CDSA) of semicrystalline block co-polymers (BCP) to 2D nanostructures, their application, and influencing factors like a solvent, unimer-to-seed ratio, temperature, and counterion. It also discusses the synthesis procedure of BCPs used for CDSA, their application in various areas, and future opportunities.

This review explores the latest advances in stimuli-responsive macromolecular architectures, emphasizing their innovative design and synthesis. It highlights their transformative applications in smart materials, environmental remediation, and biomedicine. The manuscript provides a forward-looking perspective on these adaptable systems, underscoring their potential for interdisciplinary breakthroughs and practical implementations.

The study presents a double-layer mechanochromic polymer system composed of a pyrene-based emissive layer and a perylene bisimide-derived optical filter. Upon stretching, the system shows a synergistic increase in fluorescence intensity, reaching 120% at 250% strain. The design demonstrates cost-effective fabrication, high sensitivity to strain, and strong potential for wearable sensors and structural monitoring applications.

This study presents the design of a cost-effective thiourea-based racemic organocatalyst for stereoselective ring-opening polymerization of racemic lactides. The synthesized polylactides showed moderate tacticity, with a Pm value ranging from 0.71 to 0.78. The bulk structure of the synthesized polylactides revealed that the PLA synthesized from rac-lactide and [(rac-TU)Me] catalysts resulted in a tapered stereoblock structure exhibiting stereocomplex characteristics.

This study investigates the development of biodegradable PHB/KS composites with enhanced barrier, mechanical, and antimicrobial properties for food packaging applications. The composites demonstrate improved performance by reducing microbial contamination, maintaining food freshness, and exhibiting superior tensile strength and degradation profiles. The findings offer a sustainable alternative to traditional packaging materials, addressing environmental concerns and food safety challenges.

Various side chains (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) affect molecular packing of random polymers which ultimately affects its thin film morphology and semiconducting performances. Linear chains provide better interchain packing by π–π stacking compared to bulky branched side chains. The incorporation of heteroatoms and polar groups into the side chain further enhances the interchain interactions.

Molecular dynamics simulations explore polymer membranes, revealing detailed drug binding sites and interaction mechanisms with pharmaceutical compounds. These studies provide insights into drug release, transport, and stability within gastro-intestinal buffers, advancing drug delivery system design and optimization.

This study describes the creation of a bioplastic used in sustainable food packaging that is made of chitosan, silver nanoparticles, and extract from Indian gooseberries. It has excellent mechanical strength, flexibility, and antibacterial qualities. It is also a potent Ultraviolet (UV) blocker.

A multi-stimuli responsive thermoplastic elastomeric material based on dynamically vulcanized TPU/ENR/Fe₃O₄ blends which results in an innovative TPE material architecture that exhibits a unique shape-memory assisted self-healing functionality.

Amphiphilic charged oligomers (oligodimethylsiloxane – methylimidazolium cation, ODMS-MIM⁽⁺⁾), assemble into bilayers using the droplet interface bilayer (DIB) platform, possess similar size and functionality as phospholipid bilayers, but exhibit increased stability. Charge regulation stabilizes the formation of ordered, molecularly close-packed brush phases, which results in highly insulating, stable DIB membranes.

The present study presents the upcycling of rice straws into a valuable all-cellulose-based aerogel through phosphorylation, serving as an alternative to traditional absorbent layers in sanitary pads. The aerogels produced demonstrate impressive water absorption, thermal stability, porosity, and biodegradability. The aerogels also demonstrate a prolonged storage and release profile of clotrimazole, demonstrating a synergistically strong antifungal effect against Candida species.

Here the one-pot synthesis and self-assembly of polyethylene-glycol-based amphiphilic polythiourethanes consisting of a pendant methyl or aromatic ester are reported. Introducing an aromatic pendant group enhances the stability and dye-loading ability of the polymersomes. This phenomenon is unraveled studying the evolution of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by encapsulating donor–acceptor chromophore.

The graphical abstract depicts importance of mode of nanofiller additions for an enhanced piezoelectric property of the PVDF matrix. The novel approach of ZM_x Nanocomposite filler additions brings out better piezoelectric behavior at material-device levels in comparison to conventional Z/M_x Hybrid fillers in polymer. The possibility of using of ZM_x Nanocomposite-Polymer nanocomposite films for potential sensing applications is further explored.

Development of soft and stretchable functional thermoplastic elastomeric nanocomposite material based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) triblock copolymer by direct ink writing (DIW) based additive manufacturing technique.

Highly stretchable poly(vinyl acetate)-block-poly(methyl acrylate) film is synthesized via troponoid-mediated radical emulsion polymerization. The polymerization demonstrates the features of reversible-deactivation radical polymerization and provides the latexes with narrow particle size distributions. This method offers a sustainable and scalable approach for producing advanced poly(vinyl acetate)-based materials with potential applications in flexible coatings, adhesives, and other high-performance materials.

Thermo-mechanical processing of chitosan provides an industrially viable alternative to solvent casting technique. Using cyclic carbonates as green plasticizers improves the tensile strength and antimicrobial properties of plasticized chitosan films with good reprocessability without lessening the tensile and tear properties.