W. Knoben: "Chain stoppers in reversible supramolecular polymer solutions"

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19 Jan 2007 13:30
Unit: Wageningen University
Location: Aula, building 362, Gen. Foulkesweg 1, Wageningen
Organisation: Wageningen University
Promotor: prof.dr. M.A. Cohen Stuart (Physical Chemistry and Colloid Chemistry)
Co Promotor: N.A.M. Besseling

 Cutting casual chains

A scratch on your car? Don’t worry, just heat the spot with the blow-drier and the coating will repair itself! Such self-healing materials are a potential application of supramolecular polymers.
 
Polymers are big molecules, long chains of a recurring unit (monomer). Usually, the monomers are bound tightly to each other, but in supramolecular polymers the bonds are loose. They can therefore easily break and reform. This reversibility makes supramolecular polymers highly dynamic materials.
 
To associate into chains, the monomers must have two binding sites. However, there are sometimes also ‘failed’ monomers present with only one binding site. These block the growth of the chains and are therefore called chain stoppers. These chain stoppers are the subject of my PhD thesis. The most important effect of chain stoppers is that they cut supramolecular polymers into shorter pieces. This affects several measurable properties, for example their flow behavior. The experiments yielded information which could not have been obtained without the use of chain stoppers. Thus, chain stoppers are not only failed monomers, they are also a useful tool for investigating supramolecular polymers.
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