Preprogrammed assembly of supramolecular polymer networks via the controlled disassembly of a metastable rotaxane
Gosuke Washino, Miguel A. Soto, Siad Wolff, Mark J. MacLachlan
Abstract
Abstract In our daily life, some of the most valuable commodities are preprogrammed or preassembled by a manufacturer; the end-user puts together the final product and gathers properties or function as desired. Here, we present a chemical approach to preassembled materials, namely supramolecular polymer networks (SPNs), which wait for an operator’s command to organize autonomously. In this prototypical system, the controlled disassembly of a metastable interlocked molecule (rotaxane) liberates an active species to the medium. This species crosslinks a ring-containing polymer and assembles with a reporting macrocycle to produce colorful SPNs. We demonstrate that by using identical preprogrammed systems, one can access multiple supramolecular polymer networks with different degrees of fluidity (μ * = 2.5 to 624 Pa s -1 ) and color, all as desired by the end-user.