Photoinduced Mechanical Cloaking of Diarylethene‐Crosslinked Microgels (Adv. Mater. 41/2023)

Mechanical Microgel Cloaking Concepts to control mechanical polymer degradation on demand are one possible pathway toward a sustainable polymer future. In article 2305845, Robert Göstl and co-workers gate the mechanochemical degradation of microgels as prototypical material platform by light. The observed mechanical cloaking effect is caused by a photoinduced phase transition, hence operates on the polymer topology level, and might be universally applicable.