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Related Concept Videos

Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)01:16

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Ring-opening metathesis polymerization or ROMP involves strained cycloalkenes as starting materials. The mechanism of ROMP proceeds by reacting cycloalkene with Grubbs catalyst to give metallacyclobutane intermediate which undergoes a ring-opening reaction to form new carbene. The new carbene reacts with another molecule of cycloalkene. Repetition of these steps leads to the formation of an unsaturated open-chain polymer product. All these steps are reversible, however, relieving the ring...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

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Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
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Free-Radical Chain Reaction and Polymerization of Alkenes02:35

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The conversion of alkenes to macromolecules called polymers is a reaction of high commercial importance. The structure of the polymer is defined by a repeating unit, while the terminal groups are considered insignificant. The average degree of polymerization represents the number of repeating units in the polymer molecule and is denoted by the subscript n.
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Olefin Metathesis Polymerization: Overview01:13

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Recently, the development of olefin metathesis polymerization advanced the field of polymer synthesis. Simply put, the reorganization of substituents on their double bonds between two olefins in the presence of a catalyst is known as the olefin metathesis reaction. The use of metathesis reaction for polymer synthesis is called olefin metathesis polymerization.
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Acyclic diene metathesis polymerization or ADMET polymerization involves cross-metathesis of terminal dienes, such as 1,8-nonadiene, to give linear unsaturated polymer and ethylene. As ADMET is a reversible process, the formed ethylene gas must be removed from the reaction mixture to complete the polymerization process.
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Types of Step-Growth Polymers: Polyesters01:20

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The introduction of polyesters has brought major development to the textile industry. The wrinkle-free behavior of polyester blends has eliminated the need for starching and ironing clothes.
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High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
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Reprocessable Photodeformable Azobenzene Polymers.

Huiqi Zhang1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials (Ministry of Education), Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 7, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Recent advancements in photodeformable azobenzene (azo) polymers focus on dynamic crosslinking for enhanced recyclability and reprocessability in light-driven actuation applications. These smart materials offer promising solutions for sustainable photoactuating technologies.

Keywords:
azobenzene polymersdynamic crosslinking networksphotodeformablereprocessable

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Optics

Background:

  • Photodeformable azobenzene (azo) polymers convert light into mechanical energy for photoactuating applications.
  • These polymers typically feature crosslinked networks with oriented azo mesogens that change order upon light exposure.
  • Light-induced changes generate photomechanical forces, leading to macroscopic deformation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in reprocessable photodeformable polymers.
  • To highlight polymers with dynamic crosslinking networks and their advantages.
  • To discuss current challenges and future perspectives in the field.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature on photodeformable azo polymers.
  • Analysis of polymers with dynamic crosslinking networks.
  • Discussion of mechanisms, advantages, and limitations.

Main Results:

  • Significant progress has been made in developing photodeformable azo polymers.
  • Polymers with dynamic crosslinking offer superior recyclability and reprocessability compared to stable chemical crosslinks.
  • Uncrosslinked and unoriented polymers also exhibit photodeformation via various mechanisms.

Conclusions:

  • Reprocessable photodeformable azo polymers with dynamic crosslinking are a key area of recent advancement.
  • These materials hold significant promise for sustainable and versatile photoactuating applications.
  • Further research is needed to address existing challenges and explore future opportunities.