Supersoft yet tough bottlebrush polymers via dynamic domain exchange

Supersoft yet tough bottlebrush polymers via dynamic domain exchange | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Supersoft yet tough bottlebrush polymers via dynamic domain exchange Jiheong Kang, Hyunjun Kim, Yeonzu Son, Jaeho Lee, Ji Woong Yu, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9046391/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Biological tissues exhibit a unique combination of supersoft mechanics and high toughness, a property pairing rarely achieved in synthetic solids. Replicating this duality in solvent-free synthetic polymers remains a fundamental challenge, as the strategies required for supersoftness and high toughness are inherently incompatible. Here, we present a bottlebrush polymer design strategy featuring unique dynamic domain exchange behavior that simultaneously achieves tissue-level softness and high fracture toughness. Our BBPs form physically crosslinked, dynamic networks with suppressed entanglements and dynamic domain exchange under deformation, allowing rapid network reconstruction and efficient energy dissipation under strain. As a result, the material exhibits tissue-like softness (E≈40 kPa), ultra-high stretchability (~1,300%), and exceptional toughness (~9,300 J m⁻²). This unique combination enables conformal yet mechanically robust integration with biological tissue, significantly reducing foreign-body responses and sustaining long-term in vivo stability. Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials/Polymers Physical sciences/Materials science/Soft materials/Self-assembly Physical sciences/Chemistry/Polymer chemistry/Mechanical properties Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryVideo1.mp4 Supplementary Video KimSI.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9046391","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":604096244,"identity":"c2c492c7-58fd-4146-91c2-f47ffc7b0746","order_by":0,"name":"Jiheong Kang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA7UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxmYeMG0AYj+ACjITrYXZgCgtDAwILWwSRGlhbuc9+ODjjlpj/tnt1yp/7jjMwN9+gNm4Aq/D+JINZ545biZx50zZbd4zhxkkziQwJ57B7xczad62YzYMN3LSbjO2HWZguMHAfLABvxbz3yAt8kAthT+BWuSJ0GLGzNtWY2ZwI/0YAy9QiwFQSyIBLcaSM9sOGBveyGEGujCdx/BMYrMhPi2G/WcMP3xsqzOcdyP94cefbdZycscPH5bEqwUiCfQ1Aw84JoHRxIhPAwODPISqA2L2B3hVjoJRMApGwcgFAIfUTFZxQvb8AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4446-5494","institution":"Seoul National University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jiheong","middleName":"","lastName":"Kang","suffix":""},{"id":604096245,"identity":"84aa4dc2-20c5-49e5-ad29-e05e52878222","order_by":1,"name":"Hyunjun Kim","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8861-0206","institution":"Seoul National University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hyunjun","middleName":"","lastName":"Kim","suffix":""},{"id":604096246,"identity":"3d7284fc-54a8-4070-85e9-46dd60c9d464","order_by":2,"name":"Yeonzu Son","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yeonzu","middleName":"","lastName":"Son","suffix":""},{"id":604096247,"identity":"b1cac068-7297-4851-9463-1eadb8bb920d","order_by":3,"name":"Jaeho Lee","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7584-920X","institution":"Seoul National University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jaeho","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":604096248,"identity":"538b42aa-8adb-43cf-bbc8-ba8e8827c5bf","order_by":4,"name":"Ji Woong Yu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Korea Institute for Advanced Study","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ji","middleName":"Woong","lastName":"Yu","suffix":""},{"id":604096249,"identity":"4141687a-8ec2-4d49-8c27-a85428af8b2d","order_by":5,"name":"Intanon Lapkriengkri","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of California, Santa Barbara","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Intanon","middleName":"","lastName":"Lapkriengkri","suffix":""},{"id":604096250,"identity":"cf5331b5-2722-4f14-ac16-6d2a468dce1f","order_by":6,"name":"Byeongdu Lee","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2514-8805","institution":"Argonne National Laboratory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Byeongdu","middleName":"","lastName":"Lee","suffix":""},{"id":604096251,"identity":"c50c2cf8-2d39-4de4-a27c-2be665d13d1b","order_by":7,"name":"YongJoo Kim","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6037-7243","institution":"Korea University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"YongJoo","middleName":"","lastName":"Kim","suffix":""},{"id":604096252,"identity":"20626064-2426-424f-8cfa-bcc4fe028949","order_by":8,"name":"Seongjun Park","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1981-9628","institution":"Seoul National University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Seongjun","middleName":"","lastName":"Park","suffix":""},{"id":604096253,"identity":"07b80cb5-ad43-45fe-a04f-3f88b879a15c","order_by":9,"name":"Christopher M. 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