Mechanically interlocked polymers (MIPs) such as polyrotaxanes and polycatenanes are polymer architectures that incorporate mechanical bonds, which represent a compelling frontier in polymer science. MIPs with cross-linked structures are known as mechanically interlocked networks (MINs) and are widely utilized in materials science. Leveraging the motion of mechanical bonds, MINs hold the potential for achieving a combination of robustness and dynamicity. Currently, the reported MINs predominantly consist of networks with discrete mechanical bonds as cross-linking points, exemplified by well-known slide-ring materials and rotaxane/catenane cross-linked polymers. The motion of these mechanically interlocked cross-linking points facilitates the redistribution of tension throughout the network, effectively preventing stress concentration and thereby enhancing material toughness. In these instances, the impact of mechanical bonds can be likened to the adage “small things can make a big difference”, whereby a limited number of mechanical bonds substantially elevate the mechanical performance of conventional polymers. In addition to MINs cross-linked by mechanical bonds, there is another type of MIN in which their principal parts are polymer chains composed of dense mechanical bonds. Within these MINs, mechanical bonds generally serve as repeating units, and their unique properties stem from integrating and amplifying the function of a large amount of mechanical bonds. Consequently, MINs with dense mechanical bonds tend to reflect the intrinsic properties of mechanical interlocked polymers, making their exploration critical for a comprehensive understanding of MIPs. Nevertheless, investigations into MINs featuring dense mechanical bonds remain relatively scarce.

中文翻译：

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具有致密机械键的机械联锁聚合物

聚轮烷和聚链烷等机械互锁聚合物 (MIP) 是包含机械键的聚合物结构，代表了聚合物科学的一个引人注目的前沿领域。具有交联结构的 MIP 被称为机械互锁网络 (MIN)，广泛应用于材料科学中。利用机械键的运动，MIN 具有实现稳健性和动态性相结合的潜力。目前，报道的 MIN 主要由以离散机械键作为交联点的网络组成，例如众所周知的滑环材料和轮烷/索烷交联聚合物。这些机械互锁的交联点的运动有利于整个网络中张力的重新分布，有效防止应力集中，从而增强材料的韧性。在这些情况下，机械粘合的影响可以比作“小事情可以产生大影响”这句格言，即有限数量的机械粘合可以显着提高传统聚合物的机械性能。除了通过机械键交联的MIN之外，还有另一种类型的MIN，其主要部分是由致密机械键组成的聚合物链。在这些 MIN 中，机械键通常充当重复单元，其独特的性能源于集成和放大大量机械键的功能。因此，具有致密机械键的 MIN 往往反映了机械互锁聚合物的固有特性，这使得它们的探索对于全面了解 MIP 至关重要。然而，对具有密集机械键的 MIN 的研究仍然相对较少。