A Miscible and Adaptive Poly(methyl acrylate)/Polystyrene Blend Formed by Multiple‐Responsive Host–Guest Interactions

Abstract

Polymer blends play a significant role in polymer science due to their new and unique properties compared with the individual polymer components. However, most polymer blends are immiscible and not adaptive to environmental stimuli. Here, an enhancement of the compatibility of an immiscible poly(methy acrylate)/polystyrene blend based on multiple‐responsive benzo‐21‐crown‐7/dialkylammoniumsalt host–guest interactions is made. Owing to the multi‐responsiveness and reversibility of benzo‐21‐crown‐7/dialkylammoniumsalt host–guest interactions, the polymer blend recovers its compatibility after being damaged by environmental factors, indicating its adaptiveness.

Polymerization of a biscalix[5]arene derivative

“…1,2 In addition, the host-guest approach has enabled easy access to distinctly shaped polymers such as block, star, and brush polymers. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Macrocyclic hosts, e.g., cyclodextrins, [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] crown ethers, [17][18][19][20][21] pillararenes, [22][23][24][25] calixpyrroles, 26-28 calixarenes [29][30][31][32][33] and others, [34][35][36] have been commonly adopted as host moieties due to their high binding affinity toward the corresponding guests. To date, many polymeric materials relying on host-guest complexation between macrocyclic hosts and the corresponding guests have been reported, which has corroborated that the host-guest approach is a powerful tool for the development of new polymeric materials, including self-healable, shape-memory, and stimuli-responsive materials.…”

Multi‐Component Spirane Assemblies

“…While artificial self‐sorting systems are by far not as advanced as biological ones, the toolbox of chemists is even bigger than that of nature due to the use of unnatural elements and abiotic compounds. The self‐sorting approach is not only well suited for material blending, but, in a way, also for the construction of desired supramolecular structures choosing modular precise building blocks …”

“…[3] While artificial self-sorting systems are by far not as advanced as biological ones, the toolbox of chemists is even bigger than that of nature due to the use of unnatural elements and abiotic compounds. The self-sorting approach is not only well suited for material blending, [4] but, in a way, also for the construction of desired supramolecular structures choosing modular precise building blocks. [5] Among various scientific challenges in self-sorting, [6] coordination-driven supramolecular self-assembly [7] has proven to be a powerful method to create aggregates in a rational manner.…”

“…The mixture was heated at reflux temperature for 2 h, then the solvent was completely evaporated. To the reaction flask, ligand 11 (1.58 mg, 0.550 µmol) and [Cu(CH 3 CN) 4 ]PF 6 (0.410 mg, 1.10 µmol) were added, the mixture was dissolved in 2 mL of CH 2 Cl 2 and heated at reflux temperature for 1 h. Finally, the solvent was evaporated to quantitatively afford the complex [Zn 2 Cu 2 (9) 2 (10) 2 (11)](OTf) 4 (PF 6 ) 2 as a mixture of two diastereomers* (3:1). Mp > 250 °C.…”

Mixing the immiscible: blends of dynamic polymer networks

“…However, this is still an unresolved issue, due to the intrinsic immiscibility of polymers of different nature. 1 Several approaches have been recently proposed to overcome this problem, such as the development of block-copolymers and graed polymers as compatibilizing agents, 2,3 reaction-induced blending 4 and the introduction of hydrogen bonding 5,6 or host-guest 7,8 functional groups in the side chains of the polymers. All these approaches have one thing in common: they try to make the polymers more compatible.…”