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Hot Review: This review summarizes recent developments in the field of self-assembly of non-linear polymers at the air/water interface, focusing on the influence of molecular architecture. Four classes of non-linear systems (polymer brushes, star-like polymers, dendritic polymers, and linear–dendritic polymers) are highlighted to elaborate their interfacial behaviors originating from different molecular architectures. Lei Zhao and Zhiqun Lin, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1SM05745F.
Hot Paper: Researchers investigate the origin of the so-called magnetostriction effect (the deformation of a soft magnetic elastomer) in response to a uniform magnetic field. In particular the type of structural short-range order in the magnetic microparticle assembly is discussed. Oleg V. Stolbov, Yuriy L. Raikher and Maria Balasoiu, Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 8484-8487.
Hot Highlight: Helical assemblies from chiral block copolymers (BCPs*) have been intensively studied recently due to their unique hierarchical architectures arising from the interplay of various secondary interactions, and are discussed here in this Highlight Article. Yeo-Wan Chiang, Rong-Ming Ho, Christian Burger and Hirokazu Hasegawa, Soft Matter, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1SM05921A.
