Dynamic polymeric materials based on reversible B-O bonds with dative boron-nitrogen coordination

To minimize the environmental pollution caused by polymeric waste, materials based dynamic chemistry have attracted extensive attention around the world. Various dynamic covalent bonds or noncovalent interactions have been employed to design multifunctional polymers with recyclability, reprocessablility, and sustainability. Among them, polymers based on reversible boron-oxygen (B-O) bonds have been widely investigated because of their unique properties. Particularly, lots of scientists have demonstrated that the combination with boron-nitrogen (B-N) coordination can effectively accelerate the dynamicity as well as enhance the stability of B-O bonds. Therefore, numerous polymers containing dynamic B-O bonds with dative B-N coordination have been designed and synthesized in recent years. These polymers exhibit excellent versatility and great potential for diverse applications such as biosensors, battery electrolytes, and artificial skins. This review provides an overview of the comprehensive influence of dynamic B-N coordination chemistry on B-O bonds in organoboron species and highlights the developments in the area of constructing boron-containing polymeric materials with this interesting linkage. The design guidelines, existing challenges, and future perspectives in this burgeoning field are discussed and proposed.