A Comprehensive Review on the Mechanics of Cyclodextrin-Based Slide-Ring Polymers

The widespread application of polymer soft materials in cutting-edge fields such as flexible electronics and biomedicine has placed higher demands on their mechanical properties. Traditional chemically cross-linked or physically cross-linked polymers each have inherent limitations. In contrast, slide-ring polymers (SRPs), also known as sliding cross-linked polymers or topologically cross-linked polymers, effectively distribute chain tension through their slip-cross-link characteristics, thereby exhibiting remarkable toughness, elongation at break, and low hysteresis. Among them, cyclodextrin (CD) has emerged as an ideal building block, such as the CD-based rotaxane/polyrotaxane/pseudortaxane/polypseudortaxane, for constructing SRPs due to its unique cavity structure and ease of modification, enabling diverse regulation of material structure and function through molecular design. Currently, the preparation strategies for cross-linking are relatively well established. However, existing research on the physical and mechanical behavior of SRPs-particularly their responses and damage mechanisms under complex loading conditions-remains unsystematic. Furthermore, establishing a cross-scale correlation mechanism from molecular design to macroscopic performance remains a key challenge. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the mechanics of cyclodextrin-based sliding cross-linked polymers (CD-based SRPs) focusing on the molecular design and network structures, physical and mechanical behaviors and properties, deformation mechanism and theoretical models, and simulation and prediction, to provide clear guidance for future development of these materials.