Long‐Lasting and Rapid‐Responsive Media for Rewritable Information Storage Based on Low‐Cost N‐Substituted Maleimides Oligomers

Abstract

Abstract Controllable synthesis of high‐performance materials with low‐cost is critical for the development of functional devices. Herein, a series of sequence‐controlled low‐dispersity oligomers with acid–base chromotropic capability via simple copolymerization between N‐substituted maleimides (NMI) and methyldiallylamine (MDAA) are synthesized. The structure and molecular weight of the oligomers are characterized. Owing to the presence of strong electrophilic carbonyl oxygen and imine nitrogen, a rapid‐responsive color switching system is achieved. This change is attributed to the acid/base‐triggered isomerization between enolate state and the enol or keto tautomer via intramolecular proton transfer. More importantly, the color of P(MDAA/NMI) is regulated by the variation of the substituent group of the N‐substituted maleimide. A new type of rewritable paper based on the designed N‐substituted maleimide oligomers is fabricated by a simple spin‐coating process, on which images with high resolution can be acid‐printed and base‐erased for over ten cycles. The writing and erasure times can be as short as 10 s and the legible time can be more than 90 days under ambient conditions. The as‐formed rewritable paper with excellent rewriting performances is low‐cost and easy for large‐scale production and may find more advanced potential applications in memory devices, rewritable labels, an sensors.

Keywords

• acid–base chromotropics
• information storage
• intramolecular proton transfer
• N‐substituted maleimide
• oligomers