基于共价自适应网络的液晶弹性体: 从分子设计到应用

Liquid-crystal elastomers (LCEs) have attracted great attention as stimuli-responsive materials due to their capability of large and reversible deformation, rendering them excellent candidates for soft actuators, artificial muscles, photonic devices, and biomedical engineering. Unlike conventional LCEs featuring permanent crosslinked networks, LCEs with covalent adaptable networks (CAN-LCEs) enable program into monodomain LCEs from polydomain LCEs due to the network rearrangement induced by bond exchange reactions. In addition, the CAN-LCEs are capable of welding, self-healing, recycling, reprocessing, or reprogramming. Herein, the latest achievements of CAN-LCEs are summarized. The CAN-LCEs based on various types of bond exchange reactions and design strategies are discussed in detail. The novel properties brought by CANs, including welding, self-healing, remolding, recycling, and reprogramming, as well as their emerging applications are also discussed. Finally, this review summarizes the challenges and potential future developments in this emerging research area.