Light-Induced Living Polymer Networks with Adaptive Functional Properties

The advent of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) through the incorporation of dynamic covalent bonds has led to unprecedented properties of macromolecular systems, which can be engineered at the molecular level. Among the various types of stimuli that can be used to trigger chemical changes within polymer networks, light stands out for its remote and spatiotemporal control under ambient conditions. However, most examples of photoactive CANs need to be transparent and they exhibit slow response, side reactions, and limited light penetration. In this vein, it is interesting to understand how molecular engineering of optically active dynamic linkages that offer fast response to visible light can impart "living" characteristics to CANs, especially in opaque systems. Here, the use of carbazole-based thiuram disulfides (CTDs) that offer dual reactivity as photoactivated reshuffling linkages and iniferters under visible light irradiation is reported. The fast response to visible light activation of the CTDs leads to temporal control of shape manipulation, healing, and chain extension in the polymer networks, despite the lack of optical transparency. This strategy charts a promising avenue for manipulating multifunctional photoactivated CANs in a controlled manner.