Technological watch

Magnetic covalent adaptable networks are emerging for combining advantages of magnetic?responsiveness and reprocessability, having potential applications in soft robotics, biomedical devices and flexible electronics. Soft actuators based on this material can deform through magnetothermal effect and direct magnetic?field guidance, which is favored for remote and local control, biological safety and strong penetration. Self?healing, recycling, reshaping and reprogramming are also realized.Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) are reprocessable polymers whose structural arrangement is based on the recombination of dynamic covalent bonds. Composite materials prepared by incorporating magnetic particles into CANs attract much attention due to their remote and precise control, fast response speed, high biological safety and strong penetration of magnetic stimuli. These properties often involve magnetothermal effect and direct magnetic?field guidance. Besides, some of them can also respond to light, electricity or pH values. Thus, they are favorable for soft actuators since various functions are achieved such as magnetic?assisted self?healing (heating or at ambient temperature), welding (on land or under water), shape?morphing, and so on. Although magnetic CANs just start to be studied in recent two years, their advances are promised to expand the practical applications in both cutting?edge academic and engineering fields. This review aims to summarize recent progress in magnetic?responsive CANs, including their design, synthesis and application.