Reversible allylic substitution based responsive polymer materials

Signal transduction in living systems enables adaptive and interactive response to external stimuli. These rudimentary primary processes developed by nature are currently absent in synthetic materials. Implementing these processes in materials can have widespread advances in regenerative medicine, diagnostics or nanomachines. Taking inspiration from nature, organocatalytic reactions will be used in the design of new strategies for signal-responsive materials. These systems undergo physical or mechanical changes in response to stimuli triggered chemical transformations, enabling signal-recognition, signal- translation and ultimately leading to pre-programmed material response. In this thesis, small molecules, usually used as organocatalysts, are implemented in materials to develop signal-triggered and autonomous systems for applications such as controlled drug delivery, autonomous actuators or detection platforms...