Light, Heat, and Force-Responsive Polyolefins

Stimuli-responsive polymers have found applications as shape-memory materials, optical switches, and sensors, but the installation of these responsive properties in non-polar and inert polyolefins is challenging. In this contribution, a series of spiropyran (SP)-based comonomers are synthesized and copolymerized with ethylene or ethylene/cyclic monomers. In addition to great mechanical and surface properties, these functionalized polyolefins responded to light, heat, and force, which induced changes in the polymer structure to transmit color or mechanical signals. These interesting responsive properties are also installed in a series of commercial polyolefin materials through reactive extrusion, making the scalable production of these materials possible. A spiropyran (SP)-based polyolefin is shown here, which can simultaneously achieve exciting functions such as mechanochromism, photochromism, thermochromism, shape memory, and so on. More importantly, these interesting responsive properties are also installed in a series of commercial polyolefin materials through reactive extrusion, making the scalable production of these materials possible.image