Influence of Attractive Functional Groups on the Segmental Dynamics and Glass Transition in Associating Polymers

Dynamics in polymers with phase separated dynamic bonds: the case of a peculiar temperature dependence

The topic of polymers with dynamic bonds (stickers) appears as an exciting and promising area of materials science, thanks to their attractive self-healable, recyclable, extremely tough, and super extensible properties. Polymers with phase separated dynamic bonds revealed several unique properties, but mechanisms controlling their viscoelastic properties remain poorly understood. In this work, we present a dynamic analysis of a model polymer system with phase separated hydrogen bonding functionalities. The results confirm that terminal relaxation in these systems is independent of polymer segmental dynamics and is instead controlled by structural relaxations in clusters of stickers. Detailed analysis revealed a surprising result: terminal relaxation time of these systems has weaker temperature dependence than that of structural relaxation in clusters, although the former is slower than the latter. Borrowing ideas from the field of block copolymers, we ascribed this unusual result to an LCST-like behavior for the miscibility of the stickers in the polymer matrix. The presented results and ideas deepen the understanding of the viscoelasticity for polymers with dynamic bonds, enabling intelligent design of functional materials with desired macroscopic properties.

Polymer architecture dictates multiple relaxation processes in soft networks with two orthogonal dynamic bonds

Materials with tunable modulus, viscosity, and complex viscoelastic spectra are crucial in applications such as self-healing, additive manufacturing, and energy damping. It is still challenging to predictively design polymer networks with hierarchical relaxation processes, as many competing factors affect dynamics. Here, networks with both pendant and telechelic architecture are synthesized with mixed orthogonal dynamic bonds to understand how the network connectivity and bond exchange mechanisms govern the overall relaxation spectrum. A hydrogen-bonding group and a vitrimeric dynamic crosslinker are combined into the same network, and multimodal relaxation is observed in both pendant and telechelic networks. This is in stark contrast to similar networks where two dynamic bonds share the same exchange mechanism. With the incorporation of orthogonal dynamic bonds, the mixed network also demonstrates excellent damping and improved mechanical properties. In addition, two relaxation processes arise when only hydrogen-bond exchange is present, and both modes are retained in the mixed dynamic networks. This work provides molecular insights for the predictive design of hierarchical dynamics in soft materials.

Dynamics of Associative Polymers with High Density of Reversible Bonds

An associative polymer carries many stickers that can form reversible associations. For more than 30 years, the understanding has been that reversible associations change the shape of linear viscoelastic spectra by adding a rubbery plateau in the intermediate frequency range, at which associations have not yet relaxed and thus effectively act as crosslinks. Here, we design and synthesize new classes of unentangled associative polymers carrying unprecedentedly high fractions of stickers, up to eight per Kuhn segment, that can form strong pairwise hydrogen bonding of ∼20k_{B}T without microphase separation. We experimentally show that reversible bonds significantly slow down the polymer dynamics but nearly do not change the shape of linear viscoelastic spectra. This behavior can be explained by a renormalized Rouse model that highlights an unexpected influence of reversible bonds on the structural relaxation of associative polymers.

Parameter Determination of the 2S2P1D Model and Havriliak-Negami Model Based on the Genetic Algorithm and Levenberg-Marquardt Optimization Algorithm

This study utilizes the genetic algorithm (GA) and Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) algorithm to optimize the parameter acquisition process for two commonly used viscoelastic models: 2S2P1D and Havriliak-Negami (H-N). The effects of the various combinations of the optimization algorithms on the accuracy of the parameter acquisition in these two constitutive equations are investigated. Furthermore, the applicability of the GA among different viscoelastic constitutive models is analyzed and summarized. The results indicate that the GA can ensure a correlation coefficient of 0.99 between the fitting result and the experimental data of the 2S2P1D model parameters, and it is further proved that the fitting accuracy can be achieved through the secondary optimization via the L-M algorithm. Since the H-N model involves fractional power functions, high-precision fitting by directly fitting the parameters to experimental data is challenging. This study proposes an improved semi-analytical method that first fits the Cole-Cole curve of the H-N model, followed by optimizing the parameters of the H-N model using the GA. The correlation coefficient of the fitting result can be improved to over 0.98. This study also reveals a close relationship between the optimization of the H-N model and the discreteness and overlap of experimental data, which may be attributed to the inclusion of fractional power functions in the H-N model.

Intrinsically Self-Healing Polymers: From Mechanistic Insight to Current Challenges

Self-healing materials open new prospects for more sustainable technologies with improved material performance and devices' longevity. We present an overview of the recent developments in the field of intrinsically self-healing polymers, the broad class of materials based mostly on polymers with dynamic covalent and noncovalent bonds. We describe the current models of self-healing mechanisms and discuss several examples of systems with different types of dynamic bonds, from various hydrogen bonds to dynamic covalent bonds. The recent advances indicate that the most intriguing results are obtained on the systems that have combined different types of dynamic bonds. These materials demonstrate high toughness along with a relatively fast self-healing rate. There is a clear trade-off relationship between the rate of self-healing and mechanical modulus of the materials, and we propose design principles of polymers toward surpassing this trade-off. We also discuss various applications of intrinsically self-healing polymers in different technologies and summarize the current challenges in the field. This review intends to provide guidance for the design of intrinsic self-healing polymers with required properties.

End-Tethered Chains Increase the Local Glass Transition Temperature of Matrix Chains by 45 K Next to Solid Substrates Independent of Chain Length

The local glass transition temperature T_g of pyrene-labeled polystyrene (PS) chains intermixed with end-tethered PS chains grafted to a neutral silica substrate was measured by fluorescence spectroscopy. To isolate the impact of the grafted chains, the films were capped with bulk neat PS layers eliminating competing effects of the free surface. Results demonstrate that end-grafted chains strongly increase the local T_g of matrix chains by ≈45 K relative to bulk T_g, independent of grafted chain molecular weight from M_n = 8.6 to 212 kg/mol and chemical end-group, over a wide range of grafting densities σ = 0.003 to 0.33 chains/nm² spanning the mushroom-to-brush transition regime. The tens-of-degree increase in local T_g resulting from immobilization of the chain ends by covalent bonding in this athermal system suggests a mechanism that substantially increases the local activation energy required for cooperative rearrangements.