Previously, disulfide networks have been investigated as shape memory materials and adhesives. These covalently crosslinked polymers are dynamic under high intensity UV light or high temperatures, making them both self-healing and reprocessable. We have shown that inclusion of liquid crystal (LC) mesogens in disulfide networks can be used to prepare dynamic metallo-, photo-, and thermo- responsive elastomers. Notably, dynamic disulfide networks containing BIP (a metal-binding mesogen) exhibit extensive creep, possibly due to a lowered S-S exchange temperature. Here, in order to combat this effect, we explore a new family of dynamic disulfide networks created by the copolymerization and crosslinking of non-nucleophilic mesogens. We show that a high degree of control over the resultant thermal transitions (e.g. melting temperature, glass transition temperature, and clearing temperature), mechanical performance, and rheological properties can be achieved using this relatively simple strategy. Moreover, we demonstrate that the inclusion of small quantities of BIP can be used to tune the extent of creep and impart metallotropic phase transitions in the material.

Tuning dynamic liquid crystal networks via mesogen copolymerization

256th National Meeting (2018)

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