Front Cover: In‐situ ATR‐IR Spectroscopy Reveals Complex Absorption‐Diffusion Dynamics in Model Polymer‐Membrane‐Catalyst Assemblies (PCMA) (ChemCatChem 10/2022)

The Front Cover shows the interplay between chemisorption of carbon monoxide probe molecules and diffusion through a porous catalyst with stimulus responsive polymeric brushes that can switch the transfer process ON‐ and OFF with temperature. In their Research Article, M. J. Enes da Silva et al. showed that on a Polymer‐Membrane‐Catalyst Assembly (PCMA) system consisting of PET membranes with a well‐defined pore structure coated with thermo‐responsive polymer (poly(n‐isopropylacrylamide) or p‐NIPAM) coupled to an in‐situ ATR‐IR cell the molecular diffusion is only diminished at temperatures above the LCST when the polymer is located on the surface of the pores. This was attributed to sluggish molecular diffusion at high temperatures in which the polymer forms a dense polymer layer on top of the pore entrance. Surprisingly, the opposite trend is observed when the polymer is primarily located on the walls of the pores. In this scenario, the polymer acts as a sink for molecules depending on the polymer‐reactant affinity and the additional barrier for transport induced by the polymer. More information can be found in the Research Article by M. J. Enes da Silva et al.