Microphase Separation Controls the Dynamics of Associative Vitrimers

TL;DR

This paper reveals that microphase separation of stickers in associative vitrimers, driven by chemical differences, controls relaxation dynamics, offering new ways to tailor polymer properties for sustainable applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates that microphase separation, rather than sticker exchange alone, governs vitrimer relaxation, highlighting the importance of chemical heterogeneity in designing polymer networks.

Findings

Microphase separation occurs due to chemical differences between stickers and chain monomers.

Sticker exchange between microphases controls relaxation behavior.

Controlling sticker aggregation influences vitrimer properties.

Abstract

Vitrimers are a class of polymers characterized by dynamic covalent networks, where specific monomer units, which are know as stickers, form reversible crosslinks that enable network rearrangement without loss of overall connectivity. The conventional wisdom is that the sticker dynamics control chain relaxation behavior, and hence the mechanical properties of associative vitrimers where the number of crosslinked sticker pairs is precisely constant over time. Instead, here we show that the chemical differences between sticker groups and nonsticky chain monomers can cause them to microphase separate. Under these conditions, the slow exchange of a sticker from one microphase to an adjacent one controls relaxation behavior. Controlling sticker aggregation is thus a key to tailoring the properties of these polymers with immediate relevance to a circular polymer economy.