The incorporation of so-called dynamic covalent bonds into polymeric materials has been a topic of much interest in recent years, presenting an approach to prepare responsive and adaptive polymeric materials which also benefit from the chemical robustness of the covalent bond.  The further development of these materials will require the combination of different responsive elements, and in this regard, we have been investigating materials which exploit a combination of the thermoresponsive features of poly(oligoethylene glycol)methacrylates with the adaptive features of dynamic covalent bonds.  Here we demonstrate that thermoresponsive water-soluble single-chain polymer nanoparticles possessing dynamic covalent cross-links can undergo a remarkable and fully reversible transformation into a macroscopic chemically cross-linked hydrogel network.  This transformation involves a synergy of physical and chemical dynamic processes which drive the transition between different polymer architectures.

Reversibly transforming polymeric nanoparticles into hydrogel materials

247th National Meeting (2014)

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