Patterned plastics that change physical structure in response to applied chemical signals.

This Communication describes a strategy for designing stimuli-responsive plastics that are capable of responding to chemical signals in the environment by changing shape. The plastics consist of patterned mixtures of poly(phthalaldehyde) polymers in which each polymer contains a different end-capping group, or "trigger". Each polymer within the plastic is capable of responding to a different signal and depolymerizing once the signal reacts with the trigger. This process of depolymerization enables the plastic to alter its physical features quickly and with a magnitude that depends on the length of the responsive polymer.