A feasible strategy to achieve large-area mechano-, thermo-and solvatochromic hybrid opal (OPC) and inverse opal photonic crystal (IOPC) films based on polymer hydrogels is described. Silica core particles featuring surface-anchored stimuli-responsive polymers are prepared and advantageously used for the melt-shear organization technique. By this approach hybrid OPC films with adjustable periodicities for photonic applications can be prepared. The large-area OPC films can be furthermore converted into IOPC structures simply by etching the silica particles while maintaining the excellent order of the entire opal film. This herein developed new process seems to be universal and is successfully applied to two thermo-responsive polymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and poly(diethylene glycol methylether methacrylate) (PDEGMEMA) as particle shell materials. Besides the remarkable mechanical robustness of the hybrid OPC and IOPC films, optical properties upon changes of temperature, mechanical stress and different solvents as external triggers are successfully confirmed. The herein described novel strategy for the preparation of inorganic/organic OPC and IOPC polymer films is feasible for a wide range of applications in fields of sensing and photonic band gap materials. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM images, DLS measurements, table of average particle sizes and standard deviations, DSC measurements and additional UV-Vis reection spectra. See

An efficient and universal surface modification protocol for silica nanoparticles is reported for the preparation of novel hybrid optical materials.

Metallopolymers are a unique class of functional materials because of their redox-mediated optoelectronic and catalytic switching capabilities and, as recently shown, their outstanding structure formation and separation capabilities. Within the present study, (tri)block copolymers of poly(isoprene) (PI) and poly(ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate) having different block compositions and overall molar masses up to 328 kg mol are synthesized by anionic polymerization. The composition and thermal properties of the metallopolymers are investigated by state-of-the-art polymer analytical methods comprising size exclusion chromatography, H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. As a focus of this work, excellent microphase separation of the synthesized (tri)block copolymers is proven by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microcopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering measurements showing spherical, cylindrical, and lamellae morphologies. As a highlight, the PI domains are subjected to ozonolysis for selective domain removal while maintaining the block copolymer morphology. In addition, the novel metalloblock copolymers can undergo microphase separation on cellulose-based substrates, again preserving the domain order after ozonolysis. The resulting nanoporous structures reveal an intriguing switching capability after oxidation, which is of interest for controlling the size and polarity of the nanoporous architecture.

In this work, the preparation of redox-responsive elastomeric inverse opal films featuring switchable structural colors is reported. The pristine core/shell particle architecture consists of a silica core having a metallopolymer shell, that is, poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl ferrocene carboxylate) (PFcMA) copolymerized with n-butyl methacrylate (PFcMA-co-PnBuMA) synthesized via seeded and stepwise emulsion polymerization protocols. This tailor-made, inorganic core/hybrid organic shell architecture leads to monodisperse particles, which were then subjected to the so-called melt-shear organization technique. After a cross-linking reaction and the core particle removal, vivid structural colors are obtained due to the well-ordered voids within the metallopolymer-containing matrix. In addition, redox responsiveness is shown by the addition of chemical oxidation and reducing agents as well as by cyclic voltammetry studies, thus revealing both a change of surface wettability and a change of the structural reflection colors. Herein, the described one-pot strategies for the preparation of metallopolymer-containing core/shell hybrid particles and application of the melt-shear ordering technique paves the way to novel redox-responsive porous opal films, which are expected to be promising materials in the field of remote-switchable sensors or electrochemical adsorbents.

The synthesis and characterization of polyferrocenylmethylene (PFM) starting from dilithium 2,2‐bis(cyclopentadienide)propane and a Me2C[1]magnesocenophane is reported. Molecular weights of up to Mw = 11 700 g mol–1 featuring a dispersity, Ð, of 1.40 can be achieved. The material is studied by different methods comprising nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI‐ToF) mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements elucidating the molecular structure and thermal properties of these novel polymers. Moreover, cyclic voltammetry (CV) reveals quasi‐reversible oxidation and reduction behavior and communication between the iron centers. Also, the crystal structure of a related cyclic hexamer is presented.

Quinone-containing materials have attracted significant attention for energy storage and electroswing carbon capture. Tailored redox-responsive core−shell particles are obtained in the present work via semicontinuous starved-feed emulsion polymerization and subsequent postmodification strategies with redox-responsive quinone moieties. The use of glycidyl methacrylate within the shell material offers the possibility of a ring-opening reaction with the redox-responsive 2-aminoanthraquinone (2-AAQ), which possesses a high affinity toward electrophilic carbon dioxide. The successful preparation of monodisperse particles, an essential prerequisite for colloidal selfassembly, was investigated by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of reactive epoxy functionalities was achieved by the ring-opening reaction with the Preussmann reagent. Postsynthesis modification was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The redox-responsive core−shell particles were subjected to the melt-shear organization technique to prepare freestanding opal films featuring structural colors. The monodisperse 2-AAQ-containing particles were investigated for self-assembly inside conductive carbon felts, and their electrochemically mediated carbon capture capabilities were studied.

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