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Our understanding of the fundamental structure and bonding of graphene oxide (GO) as well as the scope of its utility have grown tremendously over the past decade. As a result, the pace of research efforts directed toward this carbon material continues to increase. Contemporary application now intersects a variety of disciplines and includes heterogeneous catalysis, flow reactor technologies, biomedicine and biotechnology, polymer composites, energy storage, and chemical sensors. Advances in these areas have been buoyed by improvements in the methods used to synthesize and characterize GO, as well as functionalized derivatives thereof. While the diverse uses of GO have been reviewed previously, herein we provide an overview of some of the most recent and significant developments in the field. A brief overview of GO's synthesis and characterization is also provided as well as several recently proposed structural models. The inherent reactivity of GO is described in the context of catalysis, and the utilization of GO's reactive oxygen groups and carbon framework to prepare functionalized derivatives is also discussed. Finally, we provide an outlook of potential areas where GO, its derivatives, and related materials may be expected to find utility or opportunity for further growth and study.

Mechanically responsive polymers harness mechanical energy to facilitate unique chemical transformations and bestow materials with force sensing (e.g., mechanochromism) or self-healing capabilities. A variety of solution- and solid-state techniques, covering a spectrum of forces and strain rates, can be used to activate mechanically responsive polymers. Moreover, many of these methods have been combined with optical spectroscopy or chemical labeling techniques to characterize the products formed via mechanical activation of appropriate precursors in situ. In this tutorial review, we discuss the methods and techniques that have been used to supply mechanical force to macromolecular systems, and highlight the advantages and challenges associated with each.

The chemistry of graphene oxide is discussed in this critical review. Particular emphasis is directed toward the synthesis of graphene oxide, as well as its structure. Graphene oxide as a substrate for a variety of chemical transformations, including its reduction to graphene-like materials, is also discussed. This review will be of value to synthetic chemists interested in this emerging field of materials science, as well as those investigating applications of graphene who would find a more thorough treatment of the chemistry of graphene oxide useful in understanding the scope and limitations of current approaches which utilize this material (91 references).

Main-chain organometallic polymers utilize transition metal-organic ligand complexes as primary components of their backbones. These hybrid materials effectively integrate the physical and electronic properties of organic polymers with the physical, electronic, optical, and catalytic properties of organometallic complexes. Combined with the rich and continuously growing array of ligands for transition metals, these materials have outstanding potential for use in a broad range of applications. This tutorial review discusses the major classes of main-chain organometallic polymers, including coordination polymers, poly(metal acetylide)s, and poly(metallocene)s. Emphasis is placed on their synthesis, characterization, physical properties, and applications, as well as ongoing challenges and limitations. These discussions are supplemented with highlights from the recent literature. The review concludes with perspectives on the current status of the field, as well as opportunities that lie just beyond its frontier.