Abstract
Polymer topology dictates dynamic and mechanical properties of materials. For most polymers, topology is a static characteristic. In this article, we present a strategy to chemically trigger dynamic topology changes in polymers in response to a specific chemical stimulus. Starting with a dimerized PEG and hydrophobic linear materials, a lightly cross-linked polymer, and a cross-linked hydrogel, transformations into an amphiphilic linear polymer, lightly cross-linked and linear random copolymers, a cross-linked polymer, and three different hydrogel matrices were achieved via two controllable cross-linking reactions: reversible conjugate additions and thiol-disulfide exchange. Significantly, all the polymers, before or after topological changes, can be triggered to degrade into thiol- or amine-terminated small molecules. The controllable transformations of polymeric morphologies and their degradation herald a new generation of smart materials.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3913-3922 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of the American Chemical Society |
Volume | 142 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 26 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation supported by the National Science Foundation through the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: an NSF MRSEC under Cooperative Agreement No. DMR-1720595, and NIH grant number 1 S10 OD021508-01. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Welch Regents Chair (F-0046) to E.V.A. and the Welch Foundation (F-1904) to N.A.L. X.L.S. thanks the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Grant No. 21907080.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Chemical Society.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Catalysis
- Chemistry (all)
- Biochemistry
- Colloid and Surface Chemistry