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Published on: August 2, 2012
Suppression of mesoscopic order by complementary interactions in supramolecular polymers
Jessalyn Cortese1, Corinne Soulié-Ziakovic, Sylvie Tencé-Girault
1Matière Molle et Chimie (UMR 7167 ESPCI-CNRS), Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI ParisTech), 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|February 11, 2012
Summary
Complementary interactions in supramolecular polymers can disrupt order, surprisingly changing material properties. Stronger interactions between thymine (Thy) and diaminotriazine (DAT) transformed a solid polymer into a liquid.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Supramolecular Chemistry
Background:
- Supramolecular polymers utilize non-covalent interactions for self-assembly.
- Controlling mesoscopic order is key to tuning material properties.
- Telechelic polymers offer a platform for studying self-assembly dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how complementary interactions influence mesoscopic order in supramolecular polymers.
- To explore the impact of thymine (Thy) and diaminotriazine (DAT) interactions on polymer structuration.
- To correlate changes in molecular interactions with macroscopic material properties.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of telechelic supramolecular polymers based on poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), Thy, and DAT.
- Characterization of self-assembly and crystallization behavior using various techniques.
- Comparative analysis of systems with self-complementary (Thy) and complementary (Thy-DAT) interactions.
Main Results:
- Self-complementary systems (Thy) exhibited lamellar order and 2D crystallization.
- Addition of DAT disrupted microphase segregation and inhibited Thy crystallization.
- Strong Thy-DAT interactions prevented lamellar structuration, unlike weaker self-complementary interactions.
Conclusions:
- Complementary interactions can suppress mesoscopic order, leading to counterintuitive property changes.
- The strength of specific molecular interactions (e.g., Thy-DAT) dictates the final material state (solid vs. liquid).
- This work highlights the design principles for controlling supramolecular polymer architecture and function.
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