Soft Condensed Matter Papers of the Week

ABSTRACT Here, we report the characterization of C 3 ‐symmetric benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxamide (BTA) derivatives bearing symmetrically two‐armed amphiphilic chains adjacent to the amide, which were designed to inhibit side chain crystallization of supramolecular polymers in the bulk state at ambient temperature.

Quantitative SEM analysis revealed pressure-associated differences in localized morphology and spatial organization, including a tendency toward reduced dark-feature number density and variation in the magnitude and length scale of feature clustering among the analyzed conditions, without evidence of catastrophic surface degradation in the examined SEM fields.

This work presents a viable approach to harmonizing high performance with sustainability in bio-based polymers.

In this study, cellulose and nanocellulose were extracted from coconut shell powder and chemically modified into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and carboxymethyl nanocellulose (CMNC), followed by complexation with NH 4 NO 3 through the solvent-casting method.

Independent Brownian noise can rapidly separate trajectories launched from the same microscopic configuration, but configuration-space distance need not reveal their later assembly outcomes. We studied this distinction in 480 two-dimensional Brownian-dynamics trajectories generated as three independent-noise replicas of 40 parent configurations under four finite-duration quenches.

Many studies therefore focus on simulated weathering of pristine polymers over short timescales, but these experiments do not consider potentially different aging behaviour after extended environmental exposure. To address this, we investigated the continued aging of naturally weathered macroplastics sampled from agricultural soils by reburying them under field conditions for 19 months and comparing properties before and after.

The first monolith formulations were prepared by photoinitiating polymerization within flow-through columns, which limited the monolith’s practical scalability. Here, we address this limitation by using a redox initiation process at room temperature, which is compatible with the high internal phase emulsion and enables scalable fabrication across column dimensions.

This work provides a new approach for enhancing the service stability of polymeric materials and offers a broad molecular design strategy for functionalized polymer materials.

Here, we report a tandem‐catalyzed strategy for the mild step‐growth polymerization of a fatty acid‐derived monomer into high‐molar‐mass aliphatic polyanhydrides.

This work establishes a hierarchical construction principle for accessing discrete neutral organometallic architectures by separating geometric programming from the final locking of the topology through strong bond formation, while demonstrating that local geometric adaptation can occur without disrupting the framework connectivity established by Pd-C bonds.

This Review presents the advances in enzyme-sensitive polymer systems for ophthalmic applications from 2019 to 2025.

This work pioneers the use of H-sensitive neutron-based techniques to probe the consequential macromolecular behaviors of reacting polymer chains at catalytic interfaces.

This work highlights the essential role of ligating atoms in determining the bonding states and provides a design principle for developing robust CCPs.

ABSTRACT In this study, the mechanical behavior of a commercially available polydioxanone (RESOMER X 206S, Evonik) and its evolution under in vitro degradation were investigated through combined experimental and constitutive modeling approaches.

Herein, we report a liquid–liquid interfacial assembly (LLIA) approach, which leverages two immiscible phases, to prepare functional MPN films with specific properties.

This work establishes metallo‐polyzwitterions as a novel platform that integrates intrinsic surface affinity with tunable hydration for aqueous lubrication, overcoming the long‐standing trade‐off in aqueous lubrication.

Herein, we report a physical mechanism decoupling dielectric breakdown from steady-state charge transport in BOPP films under tensile stress.

The growing demand for sustainable and effective food preservation has increased interest in edible coatings as environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional packaging. This narrative review synthesizes and critically evaluates studies published between 2021 and 2026 on nanoparticle-loaded polysaccharide-based edible coatings and films for food preservation, highlighting recent advances, emerging research trends, current challenges, and future research directions.

This study presents an integrated kinetic-to-reactor approach for the catalytic pyrolysis of three compositionally distinct post-consumer PP streams, combining a moderate vacuum (0.45 bar absolute) with a regenerated fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst to produce diesel-range fuel while valorising two industrial waste streams.

Here, dispersion-corrected density functional theory compared the adsorption of I2, CH3I, HOI, and HIO3 on finite fragments of NPOP-1 (a piperazine-bridged nitrogen-rich porous network prepared by nucleophilic substitution polymerization of piperazine with 2,4,6-tris(bromomethyl)mesitylene, retaining pendant bromomethyl groups), POP-VDX (a porous 1-vinylimidazole-divinylbenzene copolymer; modeled member POP-VD2, porogen/monomer molar ratio = 2), and POP-VDF (its fluorinated ternary copolymer incorporating 2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl acrylate; modeled member POP-VDF2, crosslinking degree 20%), and amorphous graphene.