Complex Macromolecular Architectures: Controlled Synthesis and Thermal Stability of Tailored Polymers

Polymer behaviour is decided as much by architecture as by monomer choice. Living and controlled/living polymerization techniques now give access to statistical, block, star, graft, miktoarm star, block-graft, cyclic and even more complex macromolecular architectures with defined composition, molecular weight and dispersity. Thermal response is where architecture becomes visible: glass transition, crystallinity, thermal stability, thermal degradation onset and decomposition pathway all shift with branching, junction points, chain rigidity and comonomer placement. Yet thermal properties are often reported as a single transition or degradation temperature, detached from the synthetic detail that produced them. Degradation kinetics, the influence of end groups and catalyst residues, and behaviour under repeated processing receive far less attention than the synthesis itself, which leaves structure-stability relationships difficult to generalise.This Research Topic aims to connect the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures to the thermal behaviour they produce, treating stability as a design outcome rather than a closing measurement. We seek contributions that report architecture and thermal characterization together, with enough synthetic and analytical detail for others to reproduce and compare the results. Studies on degradation mechanisms and kinetics, on the effect of junction points, branching density and chain rigidity, and on how catalyst residues and end groups shape decomposition are particularly welcome, as are computational and modelling contributions validated against experiment. By gathering this work in one collection, we hope to make structure-stability relationships more predictive, support the design of polymers that survive processing and service conditions, and encourage clearer reporting of thermal data across the polymer chemistry community.We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:• Living and controlled/living polymerization routes to complex macromolecular architectures• Block, star, graft, miktoarm star, cyclic polymers etc: synthesis and molecular characterization• Polyisocyanates and other rigid or helical backbones, including stereochemical control• Thermal analysis by TGA, DSC and evolved gas techniques, with degradation kinetics• Structure-property relationships linking architecture, composition and thermal stability• Influence of end groups, catalyst residues and additives on decomposition pathways• Thermally stable polymers for coatings, membranes, electronic and high-temperature applications• Reprocessing stability, recyclability and controlled depolymerization Topic editors: Marinos Pitsikalis, Athina Anastasaki, Maria Nerantzaki, David Pahovnik Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86324/complex-macromolecular-architectures-controlled-synthesis-and-thermal-stability-of-tailored-polymers