Triazolinedione (TAD) click reactions were combined with microcontact chemistry to print, erase, and reprint polymer brushes on surfaces. By patterning substrates with a TAD-tagged atom-transfer radical polymerization initiator (ATRP-TAD) and subsequent surface initiated ATRP, it was possible to graft micropatterned polymer brushes from both alkene- and indole-functionalized substrates. As a result of the dynamic nature of the Alder-ene adduct of TAD and indole at elevated temperatures, the polymer pattern could be erased while the regenerated indole substrate could be reused to print new patterns. To demonstrate the robustness of the methodology, the write-erase cycle was repeated four times.

The synthesis of four different bidentate hybrid NHC-thioether ligands is presented. The corresponding palladium nanoparticles are stable in various solvents, depending on the ligand used, and show high chemoselectivity in the hydrogenation of olefins. The solubility of the nanoparticles can be switched multiple times depending on the pH value of the solvent. XPS analysis (which shows a subtle shift in the binding energy) was identified as a convenient tool to establish the binding mode of NHC ligands.

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