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The Preparation and Properties of Thermo-reversibly Cross-linked Rubber Via Diels-Alder Chemistry
Published on: August 25, 2016
Nanoscopic Visualization of Cross-Linking Density in Polymer Networks with Diarylethene Photoswitches
Eric Siemes1, Oleksii Nevskyi1, Dmytro Sysoiev2
1Institute for Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Abstract:
The in situ nanoscopic imaging of soft matter polymer structures is of importance to gain knowledge of the relationship between structure, properties, and functionality on the nanoscopic scale. Cross-linking of polymer chains effects the viscoelastic properties of gels. The correlation of mechanical properties with the distribution and amount of cross-linkers is relevant for applications and for a detailed understanding of polymers on the molecular scale. We introduce a super-resolution fluorescence-microscopy-based method for visualizing and quantifying cross-linker points in polymer systems. A novel diarylethene-based photoswitch with a highly fluorescent closed and a non-fluorescent open form is used as a photoswitchable cross-linker in a polymer network. As an example for its capability to nanoscopically visualize cross-linking, we investigate pNIPAM microgels as a system known with variations in internal cross-linking density.
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