A Guiding Principle for Strengthening Crosslinked Polymers: Synthesis and Application of Mobility‐Controlling Rotaxane Crosslinkers

Three component mobility controlling vinylic rotaxane crosslinkers with two radically polymerizable vinyl groups (RC_Rs) were synthesized to prove that the mobility of the components of the RC_Rs plays a crucial role in determining the properties of rotaxane‐crosslinked polymers (RCPs). RC_Rs (R=H, Me, or Et) were obtained from living ring‐opening polymerization. RCP_Et was prepared using RC_Et, which exhibits the lowest component mobility. The low component mobility is reflected in inferior mechanical strength and stretching ability in tensile stress tests compared to components with good (R=Me) and high (R=H) mobility. However, RCP_Et exhibited significantly higher stress and strain values than the corresponding covalently crosslinked polymers (CCP_Rs). These results indicate that a suitable component mobility substantially enhances the mechanical strength of RCPs. This behavior could serve as a guiding principle for the molecular design of advanced RCs. Stretching out: Rotaxane crosslinkers (RC_Rs) with two radically polymerizable vinyl groups were synthesized to evaluate the mobility of the components in determining the properties of rotaxane‐crosslinked polymers (RCP Rs). RCP_Et exhibits the lowest component mobility, as reflected in inferior mechanical strength and stretching ability of the RCP compared to those with components with good (R=Me) and high (R=H) mobility.