Structural and Functional Evolution of a Library of Constitutional Dynamic Polymers Driven by Alkali Metal Ion Recognition

摘要

Adaptive materials, which are capable of responding to physical triggers or chemical effectors by modification of their very constitution, represent an intriguing class of "smart" materials that are of both basic and applied interest. Their development rests on the implementation of constitutional dynamic chemistry (CDC), which is based on the lability of either molecular and supramolecular entities that are derived from the formation of reversible covalent bonds or through noncovalent interactions between their components, respectively. This lability ensures the thermodynamic control of the dynamic libraries of constituents, which are represented by all possible combinations of the components present, as well as the rapid response of such libraries to changes in imposed conditions.