Thermoresponsive Dynamic Covalent Single-Chain Polymer Nanoparticles Reversibly Transform into a Hydrogel

摘要

Emerging applications in materials, biomedical, and nano sciences demand new "intelligent" polymeric materials, which possess the capacity to adapt or undergo a macroscopic response to changes in their environments. In this regard, there exist already a number of conventional stimuli-responsive polymers that can respond to input stimuli, such as changes in temperature or pH, by undergoing a reversible phase transition. Although well-studied and exploited, these polymers still present a rather limited palette of structure, property, and responsiveness, and chemists have been actively researching alternative means to endow polymers with the virtues of adaptive and responsive features.