Highly Flexible, Tough, and Self-Healing Supramolecular Polymeric Materials Using Host-Guest Interaction

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 86 - 92
• Main Authors: Nakahata, Masaki, Takashima, Yoshinori, Harada, Akira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2016; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Chains (polymeric); Cyclodextrins; Drying; host-guest interactions; Hydrogels; Polymer chemistry; Polymers; Recognition; reversible bond formation; scratch-curable coatings; self-healing; Smart materials; tough polymers; Utilities; tough polymers; scratch-curable coatings; self-healing; reversible bond formation; host-guest interactions
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201500473

Flexible, tough, and self‐healable polymeric materials are promising to be a solution to the energy problem by substituting for conventional heavy materials. A fusion of supramolecular chemistry and polymer chemistry is a powerful method to create such intelligent materials. Here, a supramolecular polymeric material using multipoint molecular recognition between cyclodextrin (CD) and hydrophobic guest molecules at polymer side chain is reported. A transparent, flexible, and tough hydrogel (host–guest gel) is formed by a simple preparation procedure. The host–guest gel shows self‐healing property in both wet state and dry state due to reversible nature of host–guest interaction. The practical utility of the host–guest gel as a scratch curable coating is demonstrated. Flexible, tough, and self‐healable polymeric materials are promising to be a substitute for conventional heavy materials. Here, a supramolecular polymeric material using multipoint host–guest interaction between cyclodextrin (CD) and hydrophobic guest molecules at polymer side chain is reported. The obtained host–guest gel shows a self‐healing property in both wet and dry states due to the reversible nature of the host–guest interaction.