Superstretchable Dynamic Polymer Networks

Superstretchable materials have many applications in advanced technological fields but are difficult to stretch to more than 1000× their original length. A superstretchable dynamic polymer network that can be stretched to 13 000× its original length is designed. It is revealed that superstretchability of the polymer network is derived from the synergistic effect of two different types of dynamic bonds, including a small number of strong dynamic imine bonds to maintain the network integrity during stretching and a large number of weak ionic hydrogen bonds to dissipate energy. This approach provides new insights into the design of superstretchable polymers.