Macromolecules Containing Metal Ions

After the advent of supramolecular chemistry in the seventies, its subsequent melding with metal-containing polymers (metallopolymers) gave rise to a growing field of supramac-romolecular chemistry. The growing number of potential industrial applications has opened doors to promising new families of functional soft materials possessing unique and tunable properties. Supramolecular chemistry in the macromolecular arena introduces new possibilities for the creation of materials that allow the fabrication of small structures in highly ordered arrays for the development of tomorrow's storage of molecular information, the use of different metal ions that can capture light with a polymeric matrix that can be easily painted onto a surface, or the creation of tomorrow's television screen that can simply be sprayed onto a smooth surface. In the biomolecular world, the ordered assembly of small bio-molecules into supramacromolecular structures and materials will lead to a better understanding of drug delivery via noninvasive procedures for cheaper healthcare. Since different metal centers can be tailored within a macromolecular matrix, different utilitarian properties can result, e.g., reversibility for molecular zippers, self-healing paints for automobiles, or the irreversibility required for long-lasting photonic collectors. Combination of molecular recognition coupled with the self-organization of a macromolecular framework can lead to smart materials that are predesigned or tailored for specific purposes. The growing importance of understanding the nano-/macro-regime interface underpins the necessity to utilize supramacromolecular engineering to create highly ordered polymolecular assemblies possessing an idealized or tailored infrastructure. Potential applications include: sensing, for memory devices; catalysis, for artificial metalloenzymes; ordered crystalline arrays, for micro-electronic devices; nanofabrication, for tomorrow's robots; and manufacturing at nanomolecular-level as in molecular motors. This issue of Macromolecular Rapid Communications (and the related section in Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics) is composed of a selection of inter-related papers concerned with the field of metallopolymers and met-allo-supramolecular architectures, in which a range of transition metal ions are incorporated. The publications herein cover a wide range of topics that will be of interest to theoretical as well as synthetic chemists. The topics included are: hyperbranched met-allopolymers, polymers possessing terpyridine–ruthenium–terpyridine connectivity, poly(stannane)s, Pt-based poly(aryleneethynylene)s, poly (ferrocenylsilane)s, photoactive coordination polymers, metallo-supramolecular polymers, ruthenium alkynyl dendrimers, Pd-nanoparticle/polymer hybrids, and π-conjugated macromolecules. We hope you enjoy reading this issue!