Ternary complex formation inducing large expansions of chemomechanical polymers by metal chelators, aminoacids and peptides as effectors

The presence of ethylenediamine-type binding sites for copper or zinc ions in a chemomechanical polymer allows ternary complex formation with additional metal chelators. For the first time otherwise silent effectors such as aminoacids and peptides can thus be shown to trigger large motions in a responsive polymer, which can be made selective by interaction with a second lipophilic binding site. Such intelligent new materials need no external devices or voltage supply for their function.