Dynamic Control of Slide-Ring Materials

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We investigated the dynamics of slide-ring materials with movable cross-links, focusing on the correlation between the ability of molecular sliding and the macroscopic mechanical properties. We established a versatile synthesis of polyrotaxanes, which are the precursors of slide-ring materials, to diversify the molecular structures of the backbone polymers and ring components. We revealed that the materials generally exhibit a peculiar viscoelastic relaxation attributed to the chain sliding through the cross-links. The relaxation time is strongly dependent on the molecular structures of backbones and rings, indicating that the macroscopic mechanical response can be controlled by the design of polyrotaxanes that affects the slidability. In addition, we proposed a novel concept of entropic elasticity generated by sliding rings to explain various peculiar properties of slide-ring materials successfully.