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Self‐Storage: A Novel Family of Stimuli‐Responsive Polymer Materials for Optical and Electrochemical Switching
Author(s) -
Dong Yixiao,
Zhang Chaocan,
Wu Lili,
Chen Yanjun,
Hu Yuanyuan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201400356
Subject(s) - materials science , polymer , electrochemistry , electrolyte , optical storage , nanotechnology , compatibility (geochemistry) , micelle , energy storage , optoelectronics , smart polymer , 3d optical data storage , solubility , smart material , chemistry , composite material , electrode , aqueous solution , physics , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , power (physics)
For most stimuli‐responsive polymer materials (SRPMs), such as polymer gels, micelles, and brushes, the responsive mechanism is based on the solubility or compatibility with liquid media. That basis always results in distorting or collapsing the material's appearance and relies on external liquids. Here, a novel kind of SRPMs is proposed. Unlike most SRPMs, liquid is stored within special domains rather than expelled, so it is deforming‐free and relying on no external liquid, which is referred to as self‐storage SRPMs (SS‐SRPMs). The facile and universal route to fabricate SS‐SRPMs allows for another novel family of SRPMs. Furthermore, it is validated that SS‐SRPMs can drastically respond to outside temperature like switchers, especially for optical and electrochemical responses. Those features hold prospects for applications in functional devices, such as smart optical lenses or anti‐self‐discharge electrolytes for energy devices.