Growth constitutes a powerful method to post-modulate materials’ structures and functions without compromising their mechanical performance for sustainable use, but the process is irreversible. To address this issue, we here report a growing-degrowing strategy that enables thermosetting materials to either absorb or release components for continuously changing their sizes, shapes, compositions, and a set of properties simultaneously. The strategy is based on the monomer-polymer equilibrium of networks in which supplying or removing small polymerizable components would drive the networks toward expansion or contraction. Using acid-catalyzed equilibration of siloxane as an example, we demonstrate that the size and mechanical properties of the resulting silicone materials can be significantly or finely tuned in both directions of growth and decomposition. The equilibration can be turned off to yield stable products or reactivated again. During the degrowing-growing circle, material structures are selectively varied either uniformly or heterogeneously, by the availability of fillers. Our strategy endows the materials with many appealing capabilities including environment adaptivity, self-healing, and switchability of surface morphologies, shapes, and optical properties. Since monomer-polymer equilibration exists in many polymers, we envision the expansion of the presented strategy to various systems for many applications.

生长是一种强有力的方法，可以在不损害其可持续使用的机械性能的情况下对材料的结构和功能进行后调制，但该过程是不可逆的。为了解决这个问题，我们在此报告了一种生长退化策略，该策略使热固性材料能够吸收或释放成分，以同时连续改变其尺寸、形状、成分和一组特性。该策略基于网络的单体-聚合物平衡，其中供应或移除小的可聚合组分将驱动网络膨胀或收缩。以硅氧烷的酸催化平衡为例，我们证明了所得有机硅材料的尺寸和机械性能可以在生长和分解的两个方向上进行显着或微调。可以关闭平衡以产生稳定的产品或再次重新激活。在去生长-生长循环中，材料结构根据填料的可用性有选择地均匀或不均匀地变化。我们的策略赋予材料许多吸引人的能力，包括环境适应性、自我修复以及表面形态、形状和光学特性的可切换性。由于单体-聚合物平衡存在于许多聚合物中，我们设想将所提出的策略扩展到用于许多应用的各种系统。在去生长-生长循环中，材料结构根据填料的可用性有选择地均匀或不均匀地变化。我们的策略赋予材料许多吸引人的能力，包括环境适应性、自我修复以及表面形态、形状和光学特性的可切换性。由于单体-聚合物平衡存在于许多聚合物中，我们设想将所提出的策略扩展到用于许多应用的各种系统。在去生长-生长循环中，材料结构根据填料的可用性有选择地均匀或不均匀地变化。我们的策略赋予材料许多吸引人的能力，包括环境适应性、自我修复以及表面形态、形状和光学特性的可切换性。由于单体-聚合物平衡存在于许多聚合物中，我们设想将所提出的策略扩展到用于许多应用的各种系统。