IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-59027-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Heterocycle-based dynamic covalent chemistry for dynamic functional materials

Author

Listed:
  • Zeyu Ma

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Siyu Pan

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Yang Yang

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Yuan Zeng

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Bo Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences)

  • Yen Wei

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Lei Tao

    (Tsinghua University)

Abstract

Dynamic covalent chemistry, which renders reusable and degradable thermoset polymers, is a promising tool for solving the global problem of plastic pollution. Although dynamic covalent chemistry can construct dynamic polymer networks, it rarely introduces other functions into polymers, which limits the development of dynamic functional materials. Herein, we develop heterocycle-based dynamic covalent chemistry and demonstrate the reversibility of the aza-Michael addition reaction between functional heterocycle dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thione and electron-deficient olefins. Our method produces a degradable linear polymer and recyclable and self-healable crosslinked polymers similar to traditional dynamic covalent chemistry, but the heterocycles endow the polymer with excellent ultraviolet-blocking and high-energy blue light-blocking abilities, and tunable fluorescence and phosphorescence properties. These are difficult to create with ordinary dynamic covalent chemistry. This proof-of-concept study provides insights into heterocycle-based dynamic reactions, and may prompt the development of dynamic chemistry and dynamic functional materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Zeyu Ma & Siyu Pan & Yang Yang & Yuan Zeng & Bo Wang & Yen Wei & Lei Tao, 2025. "Heterocycle-based dynamic covalent chemistry for dynamic functional materials," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59027-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59027-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59027-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-59027-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wim Denissen & Martijn Droesbeke & Renaud Nicolaÿ & Ludwik Leibler & Johan M. Winne & Filip E. Du Prez, 2017. "Chemical control of the viscoelastic properties of vinylogous urethane vitrimers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, April.
    2. Ryan W. Clarke & Tobias Sandmeier & Kevin A. Franklin & Dominik Reich & Xiao Zhang & Nayan Vengallur & Tarak K. Patra & Robert J. Tannenbaum & Sabin Adhikari & Sanat K. Kumar & Tomislav Rovis & Eugene, 2023. "Dynamic crosslinking compatibilizes immiscible mixed plastics," Nature, Nature, vol. 616(7958), pages 731-739, April.
    3. Bo Qin & Siyuan Liu & Zehuan Huang & Lingda Zeng & Jiang-Fei Xu & Xi Zhang, 2022. "Closed-loop chemical recycling of cross-linked polymeric materials based on reversible amidation chemistry," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Tianwen Zhu & Tianjia Yang & Qiang Zhang & Wang Zhang Yuan, 2022. "Clustering and halogen effects enabled red/near-infrared room temperature phosphorescence from aliphatic cyclic imides," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kaijun Chen & Yongfeng Zhang & Yunxiang Lei & Wenbo Dai & Miaochang Liu & Zhengxu Cai & Huayue Wu & Xiaobo Huang & Xiang Ma, 2024. "Twofold rigidity activates ultralong organic high-temperature phosphorescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Lutong Zhang & Jisen Li & Yifan Zhang & Wenbo Dai & Yufan Zhang & Xue Gao & Miaochang Liu & Huayue Wu & Xiaobo Huang & Yunxiang Lei & Dan Ding, 2025. "White light-excited organic room-temperature phosphorescence for improved in vivo bioimaging," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Dian-Xue Ma & Zhong-Qiu Li & Kun Tang & Zhong-Liang Gong & Jiang-Yang Shao & Yu-Wu Zhong, 2024. "Nylons with Highly-Bright and Ultralong Organic Room-Temperature Phosphorescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Xun Zhang & Ximin Feng & Wenqi Guo & Chengjian Zhang & Xinghong Zhang, 2024. "Chemically recyclable polyvinyl chloride-like plastics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Xin Ji & Weiguo Tian & Kunfeng Jin & Huailing Diao & Xin Huang & Guangjie Song & Jun Zhang, 2022. "Anionic polymerization of nonaromatic maleimide to achieve full-color nonconventional luminescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Bo Song & Jianyu Zhang & Jiadong Zhou & Anjun Qin & Jacky W. Y. Lam & Ben Zhong Tang, 2023. "Facile conversion of water to functional molecules and cross-linked polymeric films with efficient clusteroluminescence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Derek J. Bischoff & Taeheon Lee & Kyung-Seok Kang & Jake Molineux & Wallace O’Neil Parker & Jeffrey Pyun & Michael E. Mackay, 2023. "Unraveling the rheology of inverse vulcanized polymers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. Guangxin Yang & Subin Hao & Xin Deng & Xinluo Song & Bo Sun & Woo Jin Hyun & Ming-De Li & Li Dang, 2024. "Efficient intersystem crossing and tunable ultralong organic room-temperature phosphorescence via doping polyvinylpyrrolidone with polyaromatic hydrocarbons," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    9. Jiayao Chen & Lin Li & Jiancheng Luo & Lingyao Meng & Xiao Zhao & Shenghan Song & Zoriana Demchuk & Pei Li & Yi He & Alexei P. Sokolov & Peng-Fei Cao, 2024. "Covalent adaptable polymer networks with CO2-facilitated recyclability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Cheng Li & Guangming Yan & Zhongwen Dong & Gang Zhang & Fan Zhang, 2025. "Upcycling waste commodity polymers into high-performance polyarylate materials with direct utilization of capping agent impurities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Xiaoyan Qiu & Jize Liu & Xinkai Li & Yuyan Wang & Xinxing Zhang, 2024. "Click dechlorination of halogen-containing hazardous plastics towards recyclable vitrimers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Xiaokang Yao & Yuxin Li & Huifang Shi & Ze Yu & Beishen Wu & Zixing Zhou & Chifeng Zhou & Xifang Zheng & Mengting Tang & Xiao Wang & Huili Ma & Zhengong Meng & Wei Huang & Zhongfu An, 2024. "Narrowband room temperature phosphorescence of closed-loop molecules through the multiple resonance effect," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    13. Junheng Zhang & Can Jiang & Guoyan Deng & Mi Luo & Bangjiao Ye & Hongjun Zhang & Menghe Miao & Tingcheng Li & Daohong Zhang, 2024. "Closed-loop recycling of tough epoxy supramolecular thermosets constructed with hyperbranched topological structure," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-59027-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.