Mechanically Robust Mechanically Interlocked Polymers

Due to the unique topological structures and controllable mechanical motions under external stimuli, mechanically interlocked polymers have gained widely attention from the scientific community. Nevertheless, it is still a significant challenge to elucidate the influence of microscopic mechanical motion of mechanical bonds on the macroscopic mechanical properties of their aggregates. In this talk, we will firstly present a class of mechanically interlocked networks carrying densely rotaxanated backbones as a model system to understand macroscopic mechanical properties stemmed from the integration and amplification of intramolecular motion of the embedded [2]rotaxane motifs. Subsequently, we will introduce the coupling of dynamic covalent bond and mechanical bond to understand the dynamicity and reprocessability of mechanically interlocked vitrimers. Finally, we will showcase how we use densely mechanical bonds to realize the applications of mechanically interlocked networks in the fields of stretchable materials, aerogels, soft actuators. Our work promotes the development of mechanically interlcoked materials, especially on the understanding of the underlying mechanism of the relationship between microscopic mechanical motion and macroscopic mechanical performance.