Interchangeable Thermoresponsive Behavior of Adamantane-Modified Cellulose through Cyclodextrin Complexation

Abstract

Interchangeable control of polymer functions on a single polymer backbone is an attractive concept but remains highly challenging. In this study, adamantane-modified cellulose (Ad-cellulose) was developed as a supramolecular polymer platform for interchangeable thermoresponsive behavior through cyclodextrin (CD) complexation. Water-insoluble Ad-cellulose became soluble through complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) or permethylated β-cyclodextrin (Me-β-CD), whereas only the Me-β-CD system exhibited thermoresponsive aggregation at elevated temperature. These findings provide a new supramolecular design strategy for polymer systems with interchangeable functionality.