Polymer colloids are complex materials that have the potential to be used in a vast array of applications. One of the main reasons for their continued growth in commercial use is the water-based emulsion polymerization process through which they are generally synthesized. This technique is not only highly efficient from an industrial point of view but also extremely versatile and permits the large-scale production of colloidal particles with controllable properties. In this perspective, we seek to highlight the central challenges in the synthesis and use of polymer colloids, with respect to both existing and emerging applications. We first address the challenges in the current production and application of polymer colloids, with a particular focus on the transition toward sustainable feedstocks and reduced environmental impact in their primary commercial applications. Later, we highlight the features that allow novel polymer colloids to be designed and applied in emerging application areas. Finally, we present recent approaches that have used the unique colloidal nature in unconventional processing techniques.
The phosphine-substituted aryl diimine cobalt catalyst, ( Ph2PPr ADI)Co, has been found to mediate the dehydrocoupling of diamines or polyamines to poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) to generate hydrogen and crosslinked solids in an atom-efficient fashion. The resulting siloxane diamine and siloxane polyamine networks persist in the presence of air or water at room temperature and can tolerate temperatures of up to 1600 °C. Upon lowering the catalyst loading to 0.01 mol %, ( Ph2PPr ADI)Co was found to catalyze the dehydrocoupling of 1,3-propanediamine and PMHS (m = 35) to generate a siloxane diamine foam with a turnover frequency of 157 s −1 relative to diamine consumption, the highest activity ever reported for Si−N dehydrocoupling. Furthermore, upon systematically reducing the number of potential branch points, the ( Ph2PPr ADI)Co-catalyzed dehydrocoupling of diamines with hydride-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was found to yield linear siloxane diamine polymers with molecular weights of up to 47,300 g/mol.
Vat photopolymerization (VP) and direct ink write (DIW) additive manufacturing (AM) provide complex geometries with precise spatial control employing a vast array of photo‐reactive polymeric systems. Although VP is recognized for superior resolution and surface finish, DIW provides versatility for higher viscosity systems. However, each AM platform presents specific rheological requirements that are essential for successful 3D printing. First, viscosity requirements constrain VP polymeric materials to viscosities below 10 Pa s. Thus, this requirement presents a challenging paradox that must be overcome to attain the physical performance of high molecular weight polymers while maintaining suitable viscosities for VP polymeric materials. Second, the necessary rheological complexity that is required for DIW pastes requires additional rheological measurements to ensure desirable thixotropic behavior. This manuscript describes the importance of rheological measurements when designing polymeric latexes for AM. Latexes effectively decouple the dependency of viscosity on molecular weight, thus enabling high molecular weight polymers with low viscosities. Photo‐crosslinking of water‐soluble monomers and telechelic oligomeric diacrylates in the presence of the latex enables the fabrication of a scaffold, which is restricted to the continuous aqueous phase and effectively surrounds the latex nanoparticles enabling the printing of otherwise inaccessible high molecular weight polymers. Rheological testing, including both steady and oscillatory shear experiments, provides insights into system properties and provides predictability for successful printing. This perspective article aims to provide an understanding of both chemical functionality (photo‐ and thermal‐reactivity) and rheological response and their importance for the successful design and evaluation of VP and DIW processable latex formulations.
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