The thermoreversible Diels-Alder reaction, a type of stimuli-responsive reversible organic reaction, is attractive because its direction can be easily controlled. In this study, the cross-linked Diels-Alder adduct-containing polybutadiene (DAPBD) was synthesized by the S N 2 reaction of bromine-terminated polybutadiene with a furan-bismaleimide Diels-Alder adduct, and their thermodegradable behavior was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis. DAPBD was dissociated by the retro-Diels-Alder reaction and dissolved in chlorobenzene at 132 C to generate furan-terminated polybutadiene (FTPB) and bismaleimide that were identified by 1 H NMR spectroscopy. This synthetic method using premade Diels-Alder adducts is expected to enhance the thermoreversibility of the materials by significantly increasing the concentration of the Diels-Alder adduct moieties in the final DAPBD. The polymerization performed at 35 C will help widen the scope of the use of such materials.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.