Precise Control over the Rheological Behavior of Associating Stimuli-Responsive Block Copolymer Gels

Gels

Jérémy Brassinne²  Flanco Zhuge²  Charles-André Fustin¹  Jean-François Gohy¹ 

[1] Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences (IMCN), Bio- and Soft Matter (BSMA) Division, Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Place L. Pasteur 1, Louvain-la-Neuve 1348, Belgium;

关键词: supramolecular;    stimuli-responsive;    micellar gel;    associating polymer;    terpyridine;    rheology;   

DOI  :  10.3390/gels1020235

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

“Smart” materials have considerably evolved over the last few years for specific applications. They rely on intelligent macromolecules or (supra-)molecular motifs to adapt their structure and properties in response to external triggers. Here, a supramolecular stimuli-responsive polymer gel is constructed from heterotelechelic double hydrophilic block copolymers that incorporate thermo-responsive sequences. These macromolecular building units are synthesized via a three-step controlled radical copolymerization and then hierarchically assembled to yield coordination micellar hydrogels. The dynamic mechanical properties of this particular class of materials are studied in shear flow and finely tuned via temperature changes. Notably, rheological experiments show that structurally reinforcing the micellar network nodes leads to precise tuning of the viscoelastic response and yield behavior of the material. Hence, they constitute promising candidates for specific applications, such as mechano-sensors.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.