Front Cover: In article number 1800178, Beatriz Prieto-Simon and co-workers design a diagnostic device for the in situ detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria via electrochemical measurements of the enzymatic activity of hyaluronidase. The detection of hyaluronidase as indicator for the presence of S. aureus above a threshold level in bacterial supernatants and artificial wound fluid is demonstrated.

Back Cover: Polymer self-assembly under confinement conditions has emerged as a versatile avenue to design polymer particles with complex internal morphologies. In article number 1800177, André H. Gröschel, Markus Müllner, and co-workers self-assemble diblock molecular polymer brushes under confinement in drying emulsion droplets to form uniform microparticles with highly ordered internal structures, such as axiallystacked lamellar morphologies.

Asymmetric copolymers are an intriguing class of materials that include gradient copolymers and block copolymers that contain segments of statistical copolymer. This review discusses their synthesis, properties, and some emerging applications.

Organic arsenicals exhibit diverse and distinct (bio)chemical reactivity and biological activity across a range of oxidation states. Thus, there is great potential in incorporating such functionality into polymeric and self-assembled structures to develop a novel platform for functional, responsive, and bioactive materials.

Monofunctional or telechelic polyethylenes (PEs) carrying phosphonic acid end groups are obtained from iodo-functionalized PE produced by catalyzed chain growth on magnesium. Iodo end groups are first substituted by phosphonate groups via a Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction before hydrolysis with bromotrimethylsilane.

Diblock molecular polymer brushes self-assemble in the confinement of drying emulsion droplets to form uniform microparticles with complex or highly ordered internal structure. Bicontinuous or axially stacked lamellar morphologies can be accessed by altering the block ratio of the brush.

Poly(butylene terephthalate) vitrimers have a high melt strength and can be reprocessed, repaired, and recycled and as such allow for the use of additional processing technologies and applications at higher temperatures. In situ network formation directed by protection–deprotection chemistry paves the way for fast processing using current extrusion or injection molding equipment of PBT vitrimers.

The synthesis of crosslinked polymeric microspheres via (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) initiated thiol-ene dispersion polymerization under ambient conditions is reported for the first time. The ability of the microspheres for a second TEMPO initiated thiol-ene reaction is demonstrated by the ligation of fluorescein-5-maleimide (an ene) and cysteine (containing thiol group) to the microspheres' surface containing excess of thiol and ene functionality, respectively.

A rapid one-step approach to synthesize sub-100 nm polymeric glyco nanoparticles without the use of a surfactant is presented. The free radical method takes advantage of the exceptional ability of glycomonomers, particularly lactose acrylamide to stabilize a growing latex particle, with the use of the charged initiator 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid) to go from monomer to final latex in under 3 h.

In reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, a constant supply of radical species is essential for maintaining chain growth and achieving high monomer conversions. Here, a method for sustained radical generation in a RAFT polymerization is presented by way of metered reagent addition. Tuning of the reagent dose rate enables polymerizations to proceed to quantitative monomer conversions while maintaining “livingness” in the polymer products.

Thermolysis is shown to be a simple and effective method for thiocarbonylthio end group removal from polymers prepared using acid/base “switchable” dithiocarbamate reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agents. The onset temperature for end group loss is strongly dependent on the identity of the monomer-derived macro-R group and the charge state of the pyridyl Z group of the macro-RAFT agent.

Multihydroxy-anthraquinone derivatives can be utilized as versatile green-light-sensitive photoinitiators of both free radical and cationic photopolymerization under green LED irradiation. The photochemical reactivity of these multihydroxy-anthraquinone derivatives/additives is significantly affected by their chemical structures, and their photoinitiation ability is even higher than the well-known camphorquinone/tertiary amine system upon green LED exposure.

In visible light-initiated, single-unit-monomer-insertion (SUMI) of N,N-dimethylacrylamide into a trithiocarbonate, the specificity for SUMI over higher oligo‑mers or by-products is strongly dependent on irradiation wavelength. Red light provides the cleanest reaction product and a linear kinetic profile to high (>80%) conversions, but also provides the slowest rate of reaction.

The theoretical degradation of vinyl-based polymers prepared by radical copolymerization of vinyl and cyclic ketene acetal monomers is investigated. It is shown that a system with no/limited drift of composition and with monomers of reactivity ratios both close to one, gives shorter and more homogeneous chains after degradation.

Enzyme-responsive hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HYAMA)-coated porous silicon (pSi) films and their application in electrochemical diagnostic devices for the in situ detection of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria through the enzymatic activity of secreted hyaluronidase are reported. The HYAMA-pSi electrode is made of thermally hydrocarbonized pSi (pSi-THC) impregnated with crosslinked HYAMA/polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels.

A one-pot polymerization reaction is optimized to achieve a pH-responsive polyacetal-based combination conjugate containing curcumin and diethylstilbestrol, finding drug ratio as a key feature in drug synergism. The combination conjugate triggered S phase cell cycle arrest with the downregulation of cyclin D1 and upregulation of p53 and the CDK inhibitor p21.

A simple strategy to visualize and quantify proton transport across lipid bilayers through self-assembled cyclic peptide–polymer conjugate (CPPC) nanotubes incorporated in an electroformed giant unilamellar vesicle (GUV) membrane is presented. Confocal fluorescence microscopy shows comprehensive integration of fluorescein-labeled CPPCs in the GUV membranes. Formation of ion channels is confirmed by pH-sensitive dye quenching experiments.