CO₂-Responsive polymer materials

CO₂-Responsive polymer materials have received enormous attention in recent years, since CO₂ as a new trigger has many advantages such as abundant availability, low cost, energy-saving, environment-friendly, non-toxic, good reversibility as well as great biocompatibility. In this review, we first discuss the virtues of CO₂-responsiveness by comparing with traditional stimuli-sensitive materials that respond to pH, light, or redox stimuli. Then, the chemical fundamentals of CO₂-responsive polymer materials are revealed including recently discovered “unexpected” CO₂-sensitive features. Recent progress of CO₂-responsive polymer materials is highlighted followed by various CO₂-responsive “smart” polymer systems. Finally, challenges and outlooks in this area are discussed.