Reversible CO₂-Responsive and Photopolymerizable Prepolymers for Stepwise Regulation on Demand

CO2-responsive and photopolymerizable prepolymers are designed and synthesized. Their good photopolymerization kinetics and reversible CO2 and N2 responses to a bulk state and in a solution are reported. Stepwise modulation is verified in template imprinting. Results reveal that stable and high-resolution patterns can be produced by imprinting liquid prepolymers in CO2 atmosphere, erased by warm heating, or retained permanently by chemical cross-linking through photopolymerization with the aid of a photoinitiator. By contrast, only blurry patterns are obtained in air.