Vitrimers -a class of polymer networks which are covalently crosslinked and insoluble like thermosets, but flow when heated like thermoplastics -contain dynamic links and/or crosslinks that undergo an associative exchange reaction. These dynamic crosslinks enable vitrimers to have interesting mechanical/rheological behavior, self-healing, adhesive, and shape memory properties.We demonstrate that vitrimers can self-assemble into complex meso-and nanostructures when crosslinks and backbone monomers strongly interact. Vitrimers featuring polyethylene (PE) as the backbone and dioxaborolane maleimide as the crosslinkable moiety were studied in both the molten and semi-crystalline states. We observed that PE vitrimers macroscopically phase separated into dioxaborolane maleimide rich and poor regions, and characterized the extent of phase separation by optical transmission measurements. This phase separation can explain the relatively low insoluble fractions and overall crystallinities of PE vitrimers. Using synchrotronsourced small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we discovered that PE vitrimers and their linear precursors micro-phase separated into hierarchical nanostructures. Fitting of the SAXS patterns to a scattering model strongly suggests that the nanostructures -which persist in both the melt and amorphous fraction of the semi-crystalline state -may be described as dioxaborolane maleimide rich aggregates packed in a mass fractal arrangement. These findings of hierarchical meso-and nanostructures point out that incompatibility effects between network components and resulting self-assembly must be considered for understanding behavior and the rational design of vitrimer materials.Thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers are soluble in good solvents and flow when heated above the glass or melting temperature. Thermosets and rubbers do not flow and are not soluble.Vitrimers, a class of polymers introduced by Leibler and collaborators in 2011, flow when heated, but remain insoluble. 1 Vitrimers are made of polymer networks which contain covalent crosslinks that undergo dynamic associative exchange reactions. The covalent crosslinks in a vitrimer maintain network connectivity at all times and temperatures. Unlike materials employing dissociative crosslinking mechanisms, 2 vitrimers cannot be completely dissolved -even in good solvents. 1,3 Associative exchange reactions permit the network topology to fluctuate and the system to flow when stress is applied, and exchange reaction kinetics control the vitrimer relaxation dynamics and viscosity. 2,4,5,6 The initial reports of vitrimer systems focused on epoxy networks that reorganized via metal-catalyzed transesterification. 1,4,6 Today, the library of dynamic exchange reactions has expanded to include chemistries that are catalytically-controlled (olefin metathesis and transcarbonation) 7,8 or catalyst-free (transamination, 9,10,11 trans-N-alkylation, 12,13 reversible addition of thiols, 14 imine exchange, 15,16 addition-fragmentation chain transfer, 17,18 boronic est...

For vitrimer systems obtained by dynamic cross-linking of polymer chains, incompatibility effects between the cross-links and polymer backbone can lead to microphase separation, resulting in a network made of cross-linked aggregates. Additionally, when there is a wide distribution of the number of cross-links per chain, macrophase separation can occur, mostly due to entropic effects.Here, we investigate the linear viscoelasticity and flow of a polyethylene (PE) vitrimer that has cross-linkable dioxaborolane maleimide grafts, which self-assemble into a hierarchical nanostructure. To elucidate the role of self-assembly, we first studied dioxaborolane graft functionalized PE that was non-cross-linked. It had a terminal relaxation time that was orders of magnitude larger than both neat PE and partially peroxide cross-linked PE. When dioxaborolane cross-linker was added to form the vitrimer, the resulting material could not achieve terminal relaxation within 8 h. The soluble and insoluble portions of the PE vitrimer were then isolated and characterized. The soluble portion, which was graft-poor, expressed similar flow behavior as neat PE, while the insoluble portion -which was a graft-rich network of cross-linked aggregatesrelaxed very little over 8 h. When the insoluble and soluble portions were blended, the rheological behavior of the original vitrimer was basically recovered, showing that the soluble portion acts as a lubricant. When the insoluble portion was blended with neat PE, the material relaxed much more stress, but still did not reach steady-state flow within 8 h. When high stresses were applied, however, PE vitrimer flowed. Nonlinear rheology experiments revealed melt fracture at high strains and suggested that flow is enabled by rapid healing, which follows fracture events. The presence of macroscopic phase separation facilitated flow. IntroductionVitrimers are covalent networks that engage in thermoactivated associative exchange reactions. 1,2,3 Under cooling, they undergo a reversible topology freezing transition, analogous to the glass transition of amorphous silica. In contrast to dissociative cross-links, the associative cross-links of vitrimers preserve network connectivity at all times and temperatures below degradation conditions, yet still enable the network topology to fluctuate. 1,2,3 The consequences of the topology freezing transition on materials properties were investigated for epoxy/acid systems that underwent catalyst-driven transesterification. 1 Since then, the literature has focused on altering the exchange reaction (either catalytically controlled or catalyst-free) and adapting chemistries to different polymer backbones. Other studies explored the properties of vitrimer composites and the addition of nondynamic cross-links to the network. 14,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 These research efforts established that modifying vitrimer chemistry provides a pathway for tuning mechanical properties, 36,37,38 stress relaxation, 39,40,41,42 shape memory, 43,44,45 and the ability to self-heal and adher...

Vitrimers are polymer networks that engage in dynamic associative exchange reactions.Their covalent cross-links preserve network connectivity but permit topology fluctuations, making them both insoluble and processable. Here, we use a sticky Rouse model approach to elucidate structure-viscoelasticity relationships for unentangled vitrimer melts. Two different versions of the sticky Rouse model are explored: the simplified sticky Rouse (SSR) and the inhomogeneous Rouse (IHR). Unlike the SSR, the IHR model accounts for interactions between slow modes that arise due to cross-linking and fast Rouse modes of the underlying polymer chain. First, we identify the conditions where the SSR sufficiently approximates the IHR. Then, we use the IHR to explore the influence of structure and temperature on the zeroshear viscosity (η 0 ) and characteristic relaxation time (τ * ). Vitrimers with uniform and random cross-link distributions exhibit larger η 0 and τ * than gradient and blocky types. Polydimethylsiloxane vitrimer (which has a flexible backbone) shows an Arrhenius temperature dependence for η 0 , while polystyrene vitrimer (which has a rigid backbone) is only Arrhenius at high temperatures. For stress relaxation measurements, the short time dynamics represent monomer friction, while the long time dynamics encompass a combination of network strand relaxation and cross-link exchange. Due to the different temperature dependences of the processes, timetemperature superposition fails. The effective rheological activation energy can be estimated a priori from the cross-link exchange activation energy and backbone Williams-Landel-Ferry parameters. Finally, we discuss the utility and limitations of the sticky Rouse approach for studying vitrimer viscoelasticity, and best practices for measuring η 0 and τ * .

Blends of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) and dodecyl (C)-tailed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) were systematically explored as a model system to dispense the active ingredient phenytoin by rapid dissolution, followed by the suppression of drug crystallization for an extended period. Dynamic and static light scattering revealed that C-PNIPAm polymers, synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization, self-assembled into micelles with dodecyl cores in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 6.5). A synergistic effect on drug supersaturation was documented during in vitro dissolution tests by varying the blending ratio, with HPMACS primarily aiding in rapid dissolution and PNIPAm maintaining supersaturation. Polarized light and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy experiments revealed that C-PNIPAm micelles maintain drug supersaturation by inhibiting both crystal nucleation and growth. Cross-peaks between the phenyl group of phenytoin and the isopropyl group of C-PNIPAm in 2D H nuclear Overhauser effect (NOESY) spectra confirmed the existence of drug-polymer intermolecular interactions in solution. Phenytoin and polymer diffusion coefficients, measured by diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY), demonstrated that the drug-polymer association constant increased with increasing local density of the corona chains, coincident with a reduction in C-PNIPAm molecular weight. These findings demonstrate a new strategy for exploiting the versatility of polymer blends through the use of self-assembled micelles in the design of advanced excipients.

To elucidate the aqueous solubility enhancement mechanism of solid dispersions (SDs), metastable blends of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and a polymer excipient, we investigated the dissolution of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) SDs in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Two hydrophobic active pharmaceutical agents, phenytoin and probucol, were employed at loadings of 10, 25, and 50 wt % relative to polymer. Light scattering measurements of HPMCAS solutions showed that the polymer itself formed a mixture of ∼10 and ∼100 nm sized structures (attributed to linear and covalently coupled polymer chains, respectively) in both tetrahydrofuran and PBS. The measurements also revealed that PBS is a poor solvent for HPMCAS at and below 37 °C, potentially inducing the polymer to associate with itself or other hydrophobic species in solution. During in vitro dissolution of HPMCAS SDscontaining either phenytoin or probucol as the APIthe polymer and hydrophobic drug formed <100 nm amorphous nanoparticles. Using a combination of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (both imaging and electron diffraction) and small-angle X-ray scattering, a direct correlation between SD dissolution profiles and nanostructure evolution was discovered for both drugs. In other words, the drug that is measured in the dissolution assay is retained in the supernatant in the form of nanoparticles. The size, shape, and lifespan of the nanoparticles were a function of drug identity, loading, and targeted concentration. These findings confirm the importance of persistent nanostructures to SD dissolution and particularly to maintenance of supersaturation.

We present a collection of hands-on experiments that collectively teach precollege students fundamental concepts of polymer synthesis and characterization. These interactive experiments are performed annually as part of an all-day outreach event for high school students that can inform the development of ongoing polymer education efforts in a university setting. The Advanced Polymer Synthesis experiment aims to introduce broad concepts of polymer synthesis. Techniques such as ring-opening polymerization are explained and demonstrated. The Block Polymer Micellization experiment extends this idea to block polymers for drug delivery applications. Students are taught the idea of self-assembly and prepare micelles to encapsulate β-carotene in water with flash nanoprecipitation. In terms of materials characterization, the vast physical properties space of polymers is explored. The Happy–Sad Spheres experiment provides an interactive demonstration of the glass transition temperature, while the Polymer Swelling/Rheology experiment features the interesting properties of cross-linked and entangled polymers. Evaluation surveys showed positive feedback from students in learning polymer concepts through this program. Overall, the simple principles taught by these outreach experiments can be easily incorporated into modern laboratory curricula with broad implications for disseminating public knowledge and promoting continued interest in polymer science and engineering.

We explored the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to evaluate the crystallinity of griseofulvin (GF)/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) solid dispersions. TEM, which provides both real-space images and electron diffraction patterns, was used to unambiguously identify GF crystals in spray dried GF. Using TEM, we were also able to detect GF crystals in a physical mixture of spray dried GF particles and spray dried HPMCAS particles with an overall crystallinity of ∼3 vol %, below the practical lower limit of detection for laboratory-scale wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Using TEM and WAXS, we did not find crystals in GF/HPMCAS solid dispersions with GF loadings of 5, 10, and 50 wt %. However, we detected GF crystals in annealed 5 wt % GF solid dispersion using TEM, whereas we did not detect crystals using in situ WAXS and modulated differential scanning calorimetry, thereby establishing the superior crystal detection sensitivity of TEM. We also performed TEM analysis of the in situ growth of GF crystals in a TEM sample of 50 wt % GF solid dispersion. Based on this study, TEM has significant potential for characterizing even small degrees of crystallinity in solid dispersions.

Many pharmaceutical drugs in the marketplace and discovery pipeline suffer from poor aqueous solubility, thereby limiting their effectiveness for oral delivery. The use of an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD), a mixture of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a polymer excipient, greatly enhances the aqueous dissolution performance of a drug without the need for chemical modification. Although this method is versatile and scalable, deficient understanding of the interactions between drugs and polymers inhibits ASD rational design. This current Review details recent progress in understanding the mechanisms that control ASD performance. In the solid-state, the use of high-resolution theoretical, computational, and experimental tools resolved the influence of drug/polymer phase behavior and dynamics on stability during storage. During dissolution in aqueous media, novel characterization methods revealed that ASDs can form complex nanostructures, which maintain and improve supersaturation of the drug. The studies discussed here illustrate that nanoscale phenomena, which have been directly observed and quantified, strongly affect the stability and bioavailability of ASD systems, and provide a promising direction for optimizing drug/polymer formulations.