Rewriting Polymer Fate via Chemomechanical Coupling.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41631356.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/adma.202518567 and PMC identifier 13113212.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
How can synthetic polymers be endowed with the continuous, life-like ability to grow, degrow, heal, and alter their chemical and physical properties after fabrication? This study addresses this question by coupling theory and experiment to create an open-system "living" polymer platform that integrates mass transport, reversible polymerization, chain exchange, and evolving elasticity into a fully chemomechanically coupled network. Controlled transport, reaction, and stresses enable continuous growth and degrowth with microscale control enabled by light-activated catalysts. Their chemical composition can be reprogrammed on demand, tuning modulus by up to two orders of magnitude to either stiffen or soften the material. These capabilities enable self-growable electronics, transformative soft robots, and on-site damage-regenerating devices, establishing a foundation for sustainable, endlessly reprogrammable polymers.