Chromatic polydiacetylene with novel sensitivity

Conjugated polymers have been investigated for a number of applications in optoelectronics and sensing due to their important electronic and optical properties. For instance, polydiacetylene (PDA) may change color in response to external stimuli and has been extensively explored as a material for chromatic sensors. However, the practical applications of PDA materials have been largely hampered by their irreversible chromatic transitions under limited stimuli such as temperature, pH, and chemical. As a result, much effort has been paid to improve the chromatic reversibility and increase the scope of external stimuli for PDA. In this tutorial review, the recent development of PDA materials which show reversible chromatic transition and respond to new stimuli including light and electrical current has been described.