Polymer Metal-Organic Cage Gels Based on Cu24L24 Cuboctahedra: Design, Synthesis, and Additive Manufacturing Enabled by Three-State Photoswitching

We present a polymer network that can reversibly switch between three distinct states of mechanical and chemical properties, significantly extending the boundaries of state-switching materials. This switching behavior is enabled by a photoreduction mechanism that leverages coumarin-functionalized cuboctahedral Cu₂₄L₂₄ metal-organic cages (MOCs) linked by polymers in a "polyMOC" gel. The properties of each material state can be used in a cooperative fashion to achieve advanced functions such as network toughening, metallic patterning, and additive manufacturing