Hard Phase Crystallization Directs the Phase Segregation of Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Polymers

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02502
• Publication Date: 2019-02-27T12:21:15Z
• Authors: Anne-Cécile Ferahian; Sandor Balog; Emad Oveisi; Christoph Weder; Lucas Montero de ...
• Keywords: Supramolecular Polymers

A growing body of work shows that the phase behavior supramolecular polymers assembled from telechelic building blocks featuring binding motifs at two termini is quite similar to conventional block copolymers. However, it remains unclear how crystallization formed by motifs, which occurs in many polymers, affects morphology such materials. Here we report a systematic investigation series based on poly(ethylene-co-butylene) (PEB) telechelics and complementary H-bonding pair isophthalic acid–pyridine (IPA-Py). These were designed feature assemble into an amorphous low-glass-transition PEB segments crystalline domains consisting motifs. The nature latter was systematically varied via choice pyridine employed. influence motif thereby properties these investigated means thermal analysis, polarized optical microscopy, (dynamic) mechanical analyses, small-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy. In melted state, all materials hexagonal phases. when cooled below temperature IPA-Py domains, three different scenarios observed: breakout resulting complex morphologies, retention melt morphology, formation lamellar phase.