Harnessing entropy to direct the bonding/debonding of polymer systems based on reversible chemistry

Nathalie K. Guimard, Junming Ho, Josef Brandt, Ching Yeh Lin, Mansoor Namazian, Jan O. Mueller, Kim K. Oehlenschlaeger, Stefan Hilf, Albena Lederer, Friedrich G. Schmidt, Michelle L. Coote, Christopher Barner-Kowollik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The widely accepted approach for controlling polymer debonding/rebonding properties in responsive materials has been to purposefully engineer the functional end-groups responsible for monomer dynamic bonding. Here, however, we evidence that the debonding temperature of a polymer can also be tuned by changing the chain length of the polymer building blocks, thus altering the entropy released on debonding. Entropy driven debonding, as governed by building block chain length, is suggested theoretically and realized experimentally for two Diels-Alder polymer systems, each based on a different difunctional diene and a common difunctional dienophile. In each case a significant decrease (as much as 60 °C) in the retro Diels-Alder temperature was observed when the chain length of the difunctional dienophile building block was increased. These results have the potential to fundamentally change the approach utilized to design materials capable of bonding reversibly on demand.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2752-2759
Number of pages8
JournalChemical Science
Volume4
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2013
Externally publishedYes

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