Progress in Polymer Science最新文献

Supramolecular chemistry now presents an elaborate „enabling tool“ that offers exciting opportunities for novel functional material design. One of the areas to benefit from recent advances in supramolecular chemistry is the field of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), also known as “synthetic antibodies”. It uses the memory of template molecules to form tailor-made binding sites in the polymer matrix. This review provides insights from rigorous recognition mode analysis perspectives and highlights evolving approaches in MIPs. First, the principles and recognition mode of molecular imprinting technology are carefully reviewed. The similarities and major differences between MIPs and enzymes are discussed. The internal 3D structure model of MIP is depicted, the origin and consequences of binding site heterogeneity are highlighted, and methods for the optimization of the recognition degree and imprinting efficiency are summarized. The criteria for evaluating imprinting efficacy and the role of chiral recognition in molecular imprinting are discussed. Subsequently, important approaches for the design and synthesis of MIPs a reviewed. Relevant approaches include dye displacement strategy for MIP sensors, multi-functional group recognition, monomolecular imprinting using dendrimers, solvent programmable polymer (SPP) based on restricted rotation, template activated molecular imprinting strategy, molecular imprinting with click chemistry, and evolution of molecular imprinting with computational strategies. Finally, the exciting progress of MIPs for recognition of biomacromolecules such as proteins, bacteria and viruses are discussed. The goal of this review is thus to inspire new applications of MIP materials and to provide a guide for how these applications might become a reality.

Amid the ever-advancing landscape of industrial robotics, soft robots in particular have attracted substantial attention due to their remarkable structural adaptability and high efficiency and stability in dynamic environments. Living organisms are, in essence, natural soft robots, composed of diverse and efficient soft organs, each precisely performing assigned functions as a result of a long-term evolution. Fundamental components of organisms, such as material, designs, and working mechanisms, have been a paradigmatic model for the development of soft robots. Recently, these researches have been boosted with the advancement in hydrogel, a synthetic material that closely resembles the constituents of living organisms. The distinctive features of hydrogel - softness, stimuli-responsiveness, biocompatibility, ionicity, and transparency - have enabled the reproduction of nature-inspired strategies, significantly contributing to the progress in soft robots. In this review, we discuss how these properties have been exploited in various applications in soft robots to emulate blueprints found in nature. Moreover, we provide insightful perspectives on overcoming obstacles and research directions, offering a glimpse into future of soft robots.

Exploring advanced chemical sensing applications using porous materials is of critical importance for emerging industries such as Internet of Things, carbon neutrality, new energy resources, etc. Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), being well-renowned for their extended π-π conjugations, tunable pore structures, tailored chemical components, and high surface areas, have attracted increasing interests for chemical sensing applications. Here, recent milestones in the sensing applications of CMPs are presented, with an emphasis on the synthetic routes, structural requirements or parameters that dominate their sensing properties and functionalities. This review focuses on multiple chemical sensing devices including: i) fluorescent sensors, ii) electrochemical sensors, iii) colorimetric sensors, iv) resistive sensors, and v) versatile sensors. The key application areas of these CMPs-based sensors for detecting multiple matters including industrial exhausts, explosives, metal cations, halogen species, micropollutants, organic hazards, biological matters, and multiple. species, etc., are highlighted. The in-depth understanding of the sensing mechanisms and structure-property-function relationships of CMPs are also provided. Finally, a perspective on the future research directions and challenges of CMPs-based sensors is presented.

Stimuli-responsive nano-assemblies from amphiphilic macromolecules could undergo controlled structural transformations and generate diverse macroscopic phenomenon under stimuli. Due to the controllable responsiveness, they have been applied for broad material and biomedical applications, such as biologics delivery, sensing, imaging, and catalysis. Understanding the mechanisms of the assembly-disassembly processes and structural determinants behind the responsive properties is fundamentally important for designing the next generation of nano-assemblies with programmable responsiveness. In this review, we focus on structural determinants of assemblies from amphiphilic macromolecules and their macromolecular level alterations under stimuli, such as the disruption of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), depolymerization, decrosslinking, and changes of molecular packing in assemblies, which eventually lead to a series of macroscopic phenomenon for practical purposes. Applications of stimuli-responsive nano-assemblies in delivery, sensing and imaging were also summarized based on their structural features. We expect this review could provide readers an overview of the structural considerations in the design and applications of nano-assemblies and incentivize more explorations in stimuli-responsive soft matters.

As an abundant, renewable, and inexpensive carbon feedstock, CO₂ can be converted into valuable products, creating substantial environmental and economic benefits. Polyurethanes (PUs) and polyureas (PUAs) with versatile properties have been commonly used in everyday life applications and possess vast market demand. CO₂-sourced PUs and PUAs can alleviate the involvement of petroleum, and they have attracted ever-increasing attention from industry and academia because of their high economic value and fancy properties in many high-value-added material fields. This has led to their recognition as a promising strategy from the viewpoint of green and sustainable chemistry. In this review, the state-of-the-art research progress on CO₂-based PUs and PUAs, with particular emphasis on their synthetic principles, modifications, applications, and degradability are summarized. Additionally, future considerations, prospects, and possible challenges in converting CO₂ to nitrogenous polymers are also discussed. This review is intended to serve as a tutorial guide for the future development of novel CO₂-sourced PUs and PUAs with unique properties and functions.

This review presents a comprehensive description of the current pathways used in the chemical recycling of oxygenated plastics, with a specific focus on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), poly(bisphenol-A carbonate) (PC), and polyethers including anhydride-cured epoxies. For PC and PET, the emphasis is on processes that achieve high depolymerization efficiencies as well as monomer selectivity and the potential to simplify downstream processing for the recovery of pure monomers. In the case of epoxies, this work focuses on depolymerization processes that produce curable molecules, as studies on epoxy depolymerization are scarce. To assess scalability, different depolymerization pathways are compared for each polymer based on the process conditions and monomer yields. The review concludes with the discussion on potentials and challenges of the distinct depolymerization pathways that have been developed for oxygenated plastics, such as hydrolysis, alcoholysis, and reductive depolymerization.

Plastics are nowadays essential to our daily life for a wide range of applications. In order to face the demand of polymer markets, given the depletion of fossil feedstocks from which they are still most commonly produced, and with the aim to develop more ecofriendly plastic materials, the need for renewable and/or recyclable polymers is huge. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of polyesters that could meet the challenges of such a circular economy, as they currently stand as promising bio-based, degradable and recyclable alternatives to traditional non-degradable commodity polymers that are polyolefins. PHAs typically feature different side-chain substituents on the repeating units, which beside the stereochemistry along the polymer backbone and the intrinsic characteristics of the macromolecules, are key parameters that dictate and enable tuning of their thermal, mechanical, and recyclability performances. PHAs are thus a large family of versatile polymers that are currently of topical interest in light of their end-of-life options. This review discusses the chemical recycling of natural, biosynthetic and synthetic PHAs, mainly focusing on the most common examples, namely poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and its related copolymers. The most relevant non-biotechnological approaches, including pyrolysis-type processes, and solvolysis with especially hydrolysis and alcoholysis, whether they are catalyzed or not, are then addressed. The latest advances on the degradation, depolymerization and upcycling of PHAs, show promising outcomes for a close-carbon cycle economy with a favorable environmental impact, as exemplified from the most recent literature.

Molecular solar thermal (MOST) fuels have attracted enormous research enthusiasm in solar energy conversion and storage, which can generate high-energy isomers upon harvesting photon energy and release heat on demand through reversible isomerization of molecular photo-switches such as azobenzene. However, the pristine azobenzene suffers from limitations like low energy density, short half-life and narrow absorption waveband. Recently, numerous azobenzene-based MOST fuels have been developed by various strategies including molecular engineering and template self-assembly to enhance the storage capacities, among which azobenzene-containing polymers (i.e., ‘azopolymers’) are the most promising materials for the development of MOST fuels. In this review, the state-of-the-art advances in azopolymer MOST fuels are systematically summarized. The critical parameters of azobenzene-based MOST fuels are highlighted. Various kinds of azopolymers for solar thermal energy storage and release such as azobenzene compound/polymer composites, linear azopolymers, dendrimer azopolymers, and other types of azopolymers are addressed. The most promising advantages and challenges of azopolymers for MOST fuels are analyzed, and emerging strategies as well as opportunities for future development are discussed with the goal to promote future development of MOST fuels towards innovative applications.

Flexible electronic devices offer new appealing possibilities expanding and revolutionizing the field of energy, consumer electronics, communication, health, and more. Many of these technologies rely on transparent electrodes which are typically fabricated by Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) but there is an urgent need to find more sustainable and low-cost alternatives. While significant progress has been made, there are still challenges to overcome for the fabrication of efficient Transparent Electrodes (TEs). Conducting polymers offer a promising solution for printable TEs, combining conductivity (σ) and transparency with the benefits of abundance, lightweight, and flexibility. This Trend Article examines various material categories being studied for developing transparent electrodes, including metal oxides, metals, and carbon nanostructures. The potential of conducting polymers is highlighted, along with the solution-based coating and printing technologies rising with them, to adapt to the intricate and emerging requirements of our modern world.

The self-assembly of low-molecular-weight building motifs into supramolecular polymers has unlocked a new realm of materials with distinct properties and tremendous potential for advancing medical practices. Leveraging the reversible and dynamic nature of non-covalent interactions, these supramolecular polymers exhibit inherent responsiveness to their microenvironment, physiological cues, and biomolecular signals, making them uniquely suited for diverse biomedical applications. In this review, we intend to explore the principles of design, synthesis methodologies, and strategic developments that underlie the creation of supramolecular polymers as carriers for therapeutics, contributing to the treatment and prevention of a spectrum of human diseases. We delve into the principles underlying monomer design, emphasizing the pivotal role of non-covalent interactions, directionality, and reversibility. Moreover, we explore the intricate balance between thermodynamics and kinetics in supramolecular polymerization, illuminating strategies for achieving controlled sizes and distributions. Categorically, we examine their exciting biomedical applications: individual polymers as discrete carriers for therapeutics, delving into their interactions with cells, and in vivo dynamics; and supramolecular polymeric hydrogels as injectable depots, with a focus on their roles in cancer immunotherapy, sustained drug release, and regenerative medicine. As the field continues to burgeon, harnessing the unique attributes of therapeutic supramolecular polymers holds the promise of transformative impacts across the biomedical landscape.