Controlled macroscopic shape evolution of self-growing polymeric materials.

Xinhong Xiong, Xiaozhuang Zhou, Haohui Zhang, Michael Aizenberg, Yuxing Yao, Yuhang Hu, Joanna Aizenberg, Jiaxi Cui

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

2citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

Growth order of stiff and soft domains in gels controls morphology.iScience · 2026
Article
Self-growth of programmable 2D- and 3D-coupling responsive coating for anti-counterfeiting.Nature communications · 2025
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xinhong XiongInstitute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

Xiaozhuang ZhouInstitute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

Haohui ZhangGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8432-3672

Michael AizenbergJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2901-7012

Yuxing YaoJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0337-6372

Yuhang HuGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Joanna AizenbergJohn A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. jaiz@seas.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2343-8705

Jiaxi CuiInstitute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Jiaxi.Cui@uestc.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2550-979X

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 51973023National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 52203135

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Living organisms absorb external nutrients to grow, changing their macroscopic shapes to meet various challenges through mass transport and integration. While several strategies have been developed to create dynamic polymers that allow for mainchain remodelings to mimic the growing ability of living organisms, most are limited to simple homogeneous growth without complex control of global geometric transformation during growth. Herein, we report an approach to design controlled, growth-induced shape transformation in synthetic materials, in which significant mass transport within the materials is induced by spatially controlled polymerization leading to reshaping the materials. This method is demonstrated using silicone systems made through anionic ring-opening polymerization (anionic ROP) of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D

Identifiers

PMID40032829

DOI10.1038/s41467-025-57030-2

PMCPMC11876608

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.