Recent Advances of Dynamic Covalent Chemistry Polymers Aligning with Principles of Green Chemistry

Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) has emerged as an important framework for designing sustainable polymeric materials, offering an accessible route to recyclability, self-healing, and environmental compatibility. By integrating dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) such as imine, disulfide, Diels-Alder linkages, and more, DCC-based networks enable efficient reprocessing, extend material lifespan, and facilitate closed-loop recycling. Recent advances have demonstrated improved mechanical strength retention, enhanced healing efficiency, and the incorporation of bio-derived monomers to reduce reliance on petrochemical feedstocks. These developments align not only with the traditional 12 principles of green chemistry but also with their updated 2020 interpretation, which emphasizes circularity, systems thinking, and lifecycle analysis. As DCC matures, optimizing bond exchange kinetics, network architectures, and integration of renewable resources will be key to enabling scalable, high-performance, and circular polymer technologies.