Light-Induced Polymorph Pattern in Semicrystalline Polymers Towards Programable Shape Morphing

Shape programming polymer materials from planar sheets to three-dimensional (3D) geometries is appealing in many advanced devices. Different design strategies provide guidance for optimized materials selection and potential application development. Herein, we report a simple yet effective approach that allows programable shape morphing of semicrystalline polymer by light-induced polymorph pattern. Two regions with different polymorphs show greatly distinct melting temperatures ( Tm ), moduli, and shape recovery abilities at a specified temperature. The resulting 3D geometries can be controlled by the applied strain and the spatial distribution of polymorphs. Due to the remarkable moduli difference, 2D sheets with well-designed polymorph patterns can transform into concave-convex structures used for “mortise-tenon” joints, which can be assembled into load-bearing devices. The materials with polymorph patterns are reprogrammable, due to the reversible nature of melting/crystallization process. Our strategy can be generalized to other semicrystalline polymers with polymorphism and can also expand unconstrained shape programming of morphing materials