Adaptive liquid crystal polymers based on dynamic bonds: From fundamentals to functionalities

Abstract

AbstractLiquid crystal polymers (LCPs) have gained tremendous attention in recent years due to their great potentials from fabrication of responsive actuators and sensors to construction of intelligent soft robotic and light modulators. However, conventional LCPs with permanent cross‐links present tedious and unmodifiable stimuli‐responsiveness. Recently, dynamic bonds capable to reversibly break and reform have been integrated into LCP, imparting intrinsic dynamic characteristics. The dynamic LCP possesses unprecedented diverse functionalities including reprogrammability, recyclability, and self‐healing ability, becoming much more adaptive to surrounding environmental changes compared with the conventional counterpart. In this review, recent progress of dynamic bond‐based LCPs is summarized. The mechanism, preparation, and functionalities of dynamic LCPs based on dynamic noncovalent bond (DNCB) and dynamic covalent bond (DCB) are poised to be discussed, followed by introducing emergent LCPs combining both of DNCB and DCB. Consequently, the unique functionalities of dynamic bond‐based LCPs will be given. Finally, outlooks of development of the dynamic bond‐based LCPs are presented.