ο-Nitrobenzyl (ONB) derivatives are one of the most investigated photo-responsive functional group that features irreversible photolysis under a light stimulus. They are easy to synthesize and display excellent photoactivity, thus have been widely used to construct photo-responsive polymers for numerous applications, such as controlled drug delivery, photodegradable materials, photoinduced micropatterns, etc. This review article is focused on ONB derivatives and their developments in polymer science. The article provides an up-to-date information, including photolysis mechanism, structural design, and materials properties, with a special focus on the application development of ONB derivatives in different areas of polymer science. In addition, the challenges and outlook based on our understanding are also provided. We believe this article will be of interest to the readers from both scientific and industrial communities and will help the readers understand the latest developments in the field, thereby enlightening thoughts for the design of photo-responsive polymers.

ο-硝基苄基 (ONB) 衍生物是研究最多的光响应官能团之一，在光刺激下具有不可逆的光解作用。它们易于合成并表现出优异的光活性，因此被广泛用于构建光响应聚合物，用于多种应用，例如受控药物输送、光降解材料、光诱导微图案等。本文重点介绍 ONB 衍生物及其发展在高分子科学领域。文章提供了最新的信息，包括光解机理、结构设计和材料性能，特别关注ONB衍生物在高分子科学不同领域的应用开发。此外，还提供了基于我们理解的挑战和展望。