Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2 Dynamers: Constitutional Dynamic Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3 Dynamers: Constitutional Dynamic Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.1 Supramolecular Non-covalent Dynamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.2 Molecular Covalent Dynamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.3 Dynamers with Multiple Dynamic Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4 Dynamers: Adaptive Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
5 Adaptive Polymer Networks Towards a Systems Materials/Polymer Science . . . . . . . . . . . 166
6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
1 Introduction
I have never met the hero of the present (his)story, Hermann Staudinger, whose 1953
Nobel Prize is being celebrated here, although he was practicing his art near to
Strasbourg, in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, and sowing the gold nuggets of macromolecular
chemistry along the Rhine, Rheingold [1]! (and Main. . .). I was led to polymer
chemistry through supramolecular chemistry, La Forza del Destino [2]! And, I wish
at the start to thank very warmly all those chemists and physicists who have helped
along the way and contributed to the journey.
There is, nevertheless, a close connection between my Alma Mater, the University
of Strasbourg and Hermann Staudinger: indeed, here he discovered ketenes [3]
1 in the
course of his “Habilitation” under Johannes Thiele, at a time when this geographic
region was part of an empire extending to the west of the river. Times of the past, and
may they remain so forever, as we are now all Europeans!
I approached polymer chemistry via the recognition that there could be such a
thing as supramolecular polymer chemistry [4–6]. After a slow start and some
braking of the motion here and there, it has become a full part of the world of
polymer science, expounded for instance in a recent summa opere (for an up-todate, in-depth review of the field of polymer science, see the 10-volume set [7]).
The field embraces chemistry, physics, and biology as both a science and a
technology, as testified by the many original publications, reviews, and books,
which are far too numerous to be extensively cited (for a selection of reviews, see
[8–19]; for supramolecular materials, see also [20, 21]; for coordination and
metallosupramolecular polymers, see [22–28]).
One may remark that supramolecular polymers are to some extent just that type
of entity that Staudinger had to fight to establish the notion of very large molecules,
macromolecules, built entirely on covalent bonds, for by definition [4–6, 22–32]
1 This discovery was recognized in 2009 by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award and the
inauguration of a commemorative plaque by the Division of History of Chemistry of the American
Chemical Society on March 7th 2011 at the Chemistry Institute in Strasbourg, coinciding with the
launch of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 in Strasbourg.
156
J.-M. Lehn
1 Introduction . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2 Dynamers: Constitutional Dynamic Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3 Dynamers: Constitutional Dynamic Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.1 Supramolecular Non-covalent Dynamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.2 Molecular Covalent Dynamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
3.3 Dynamers with Multiple Dynamic Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4 Dynamers: Adaptive Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
5 Adaptive Polymer Networks Towards a Systems Materials/Polymer Science . . . . . . . . . . . 166
6 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
1 Introduction
I have never met the hero of the present (his)story, Hermann Staudinger, whose 1953
Nobel Prize is being celebrated here, although he was practicing his art near to
Strasbourg, in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, and sowing the gold nuggets of macromolecular
chemistry along the Rhine, Rheingold [1]! (and Main. . .). I was led to polymer
chemistry through supramolecular chemistry, La Forza del Destino [2]! And, I wish
at the start to thank very warmly all those chemists and physicists who have helped
along the way and contributed to the journey.
There is, nevertheless, a close connection between my Alma Mater, the University
of Strasbourg and Hermann Staudinger: indeed, here he discovered ketenes [3]
1 in the
course of his “Habilitation” under Johannes Thiele, at a time when this geographic
region was part of an empire extending to the west of the river. Times of the past, and
may they remain so forever, as we are now all Europeans!
I approached polymer chemistry via the recognition that there could be such a
thing as supramolecular polymer chemistry [4–6]. After a slow start and some
braking of the motion here and there, it has become a full part of the world of
polymer science, expounded for instance in a recent summa opere (for an up-todate, in-depth review of the field of polymer science, see the 10-volume set [7]).
The field embraces chemistry, physics, and biology as both a science and a
technology, as testified by the many original publications, reviews, and books,
which are far too numerous to be extensively cited (for a selection of reviews, see
[8–19]; for supramolecular materials, see also [20, 21]; for coordination and
metallosupramolecular polymers, see [22–28]).
One may remark that supramolecular polymers are to some extent just that type
of entity that Staudinger had to fight to establish the notion of very large molecules,
macromolecules, built entirely on covalent bonds, for by definition [4–6, 22–32]
1 This discovery was recognized in 2009 by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award and the
inauguration of a commemorative plaque by the Division of History of Chemistry of the American
Chemical Society on March 7th 2011 at the Chemistry Institute in Strasbourg, coinciding with the
launch of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 in Strasbourg.
156
J.-M. Lehn