Dynamic Supramolecular Polymers Based on Zinc Bis(diorganophospate)s: Synthesis, Structure and Transformations in...

Area of Science:

• Coordination Polymers
• Materials Science
• Organometallic Chemistry

Background:

• Coordination polymers offer tunable properties for diverse applications.
• Zinc bis(diorganophosphate)s (ZnDOPs) represent a class of coordination polymers with potential utility.
• Understanding structure-property relationships is crucial for materials design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel linear zinc bis(diorganophosphate)s (ZnDOPs).
• To investigate the influence of organic substituents and thermal history on ZnDOP properties.
• To explore the potential of ZnDOPs as latent curing agents for epoxy resins.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ZnDOPs with varying organic groups (R = CH3, C2H5, n-C4H9, 2-ethylhexyl).
• Characterization using powder XRD, DSC, SEM, TGA-MS, rheology, FTIR, and NMR.
• Evaluation of ZnDOPs as latent curing agents for epoxides via rheological and DSC studies.

Main Results:

• ZnDOP morphology, thermal behavior, and solubility are highly dependent on the organic substituent and thermal history.
• Materials ranged from crystalline rods to rubbery polymers with a low glass transition temperature.
• ZnDOPs demonstrated reversible dissociation in polar solvents, enabling property modification.
• ZnDOPs effectively catalyzed epoxy cross-linking between 130-160 °C.

Conclusions:

• The structure and properties of ZnDOPs can be precisely controlled by modifying the diorganophosphate ligands.
• ZnDOPs exhibit versatile characteristics, including tunable morphology and reversible solvation.
• ZnDOPs show significant promise as efficient latent curing agents for epoxy systems.