We report a highly selective CMP of dicycloalkenes using G2 catalysts, obtaining well-defined polymer structures with excellent cascade efficiency (>99%) and TON up to 3550. Sulfonamide-linked dicycl...

Each year outstanding doctoral theses of D-MATL are honored with the Silver Medal of ETH Zurich and the SVMT Prize. Congratulations to this year’s awardees in Materials!

In recent years, pollution from plastic waste has intensified the demand for sustainable polymers. Hence, biomass-derived degradable polymers offer a promising solution. For example, levoglucosenone, ...

Designing molecular crystals for practical applications requires precise control over intermolecular interactions. We report a click-to-stack strategy to enable facile construction and systematic structural modification of tetraarene-fused cyclooctatetraenes. These saddle-shaped molecules self-assemble into one-dimensional columns with exceptional precision, driven solely by weak van der Waals interactions. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic and computational studies revealed fully eclipsed π–π stacking, reinforced by the shape complementarity of the negatively curved molecular contour. With alkoxy groups tethered, the antiparallel alignment of coaxial cable-like assemblies produces centimeter-long voidless crystals that exhibit remarkable structural durability under mechanical stress. These glow stick-like elastic crystalline rods display optical waveguiding properties, demonstrating the practical utility of highly anisotropic molecular assemblies with structural uniformity and resilience.

Polymer chemists at ETH Zurich have discovered a surprising way to virtually fully break down PMMA plastic – commonly known as Plexiglas – into its monomer building blocks. The process remains unaffec...