Dynamic and reconfigurable materials from reversible network interactions

Abstract

Polymer materials provide solutions to some of the most pressing environmental, manufacturing and health-care challenges. Traditional thermoplastic and thermoset networks, however, have a limited capacity to reconfigure and restructure, and fail to match the dynamics required for many applications. Introducing dynamic bonding interactions into polymer networks can produce materials that are more easily processed, applied and recycled than their static counterparts. In this Review, we highlight an array of polymer materials designed with dynamic bonds and reconfigurable networks, and discuss the different classes of molecular-scale motifs used to realize dynamic behaviour. After surveying the fundamental polymer physics governing dynamic networks, we examine the many ways to engineer the time regimes of dynamic materials to suit particular applications. Finally, we conclude by discussing opportunities to further develop and integrate these dynamic concepts into existing processes and applications of polymer materials. Polymer materials that can reorganize over time or under specific conditions have enormous advantages over static polymer networks. This Review discusses the many classes of molecular bonding motifs used to introduce dynamicity to polymer materials and outlines the design rules for engineering the interaction timescales for desired applications.