高分子微量基团的反熵聚集

Minority groups are non-repeat units with low-volume fractions that inevitably exist in polymers. Generally, these minority groups are easily surrounded by the repeating units and randomly dispersed in the condensed state, accompanied by an increment in entropy. In this feature article, we focus on strategies to regulate the geometric distribution of supramolecular forces in polymers to achieve anti-entropy aggregation (AEA) of minority groups. It mainly includes the driving force of polymer crystallization, the supramolecular interaction of minority groups in amorphous polymers, the nanoconfined effect of microphase separation in block copolymers, and the synergetic effect between supramolecular interaction and nanoconfined interaction. We further present several analytic techniques to characterize the anti-entropy aggregation of minority groups, such as X-ray techniques, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and rheology. Further, the applications of AEA materials in the fields of fluorescence probes, self-healing, ion transporting regulation, and osmotic energy conversion are comprehensively discussed. Finally, we summarize the advantages of AEA materials toward traditional functional polymers and prospect the fabrication of the complex inspired systems with the AEA strategy. (Figure Presented).