New monomers with either spiropyrane- or terpyridine functionalities were synthesized and copolymerized to form responsive nanophase-seperated amphiphilic polymer conetworks. The structure and responsive properties of the polymer networks were studied in detail. The incorporation of photochromic spiropyrane unities in the hydrophilic domains lead to an enormous repeatability of the light-responsiveness while the terpyridine functionalities formed metal-ligand crosslinks in the presence of metal ions like Fe2+ or Co2+. Moreover the terpyridine-metal complexes provide addressable functionalities being responsive to external stimuli like changes in the oxidation potential.Due to the low degree of swelling and nanophase-seperated co-continuous structure the networks are ideally suited as responsive membranes. These membranes have shown to be easily produced, mechanically stable, adjustable to different basic permeabilities and responsive to light and chemical/redox stimuli making them suitable for controlled release or smart sensing applications.

From terpyridine- and spiropyran-functionalized monomers to dually responsive co-continuous polymer networks

247th National Meeting (2014)

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