Metallopolymers with emerging applications

A wide variety of metal-containing polymers, or 'metallopolymers', have become readily available over the past decade. This has led to a rapidly expanding interest in their properties and uses. These new materials combine the processing advantages of polymers with the functionality provided by the presence of metal centers. We illustrate a selection of applications of metallopolymers in areas such as sensors, memory and light-emitting devices, solar cells, nanolithography, photonic crystal displays, controlled release, and catalysis.