Project Details
Projekt
Self-healing block copolymer films - from mechanistic understanding towards applications in coatings and membranes
Applicant
Professor Dr. Felix H. Schacher
Subject Area
Polymer Materials
Term
from 2014 to 2017
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 259456386
This cooperation project focuses on the preparation of (reversibly) crosslinked block copolymer films with self-healing capabilities and their proof-of-concept application as nanostructured coatings or in advanced functional membrane materials. As strategy to implement self-healing characteristics, we employ temperature-dependent covalent crosslinking via Diels-Alder (DA) chemistry between furan and maleimide units. The use of block copolymers and, in parts, triblock terpolymers, in self-healing applications is one possibility to address one of the inherent problems in such materials: The combination of smooth and dynamic segments with the capability of strong and reversible network formation. We have already demonstrated that statistic copolymers containing maleimides and furan units in the side chain as well as block copolymers containing poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether) (PFGE) segments represent promising candidates for such applications. With this project, we expand this preliminary studies to triblock copolymer and triblock terpolymer architectures (ABA and ABC), in particular systems which feature two segments which can be independently crosslinked (e.g., by UV crosslinking of polydienes and DA chemistry of PFGE) or where two complementary motives are present (ABA* - intrinsic crosslinking as an alternative for the addition of a separate crosslinker). Furthermore, as we deal with block copolymers which have the ability to undergo phase separation in the bulk into different morphologies, we target a gyroid morphology to generate materials with a high internal interface between unlike segments and to evaluate the effects on the self-healing characteristics. In addition, variations of the block sequence (ABA* vs. AA*B) or the type of crosslinker will allow to gain deeper insights into the underlying mechanism. The so-generated block copolymer films will be employed in first studies as selective separation layer in nanoporous membranes or as hydrophilic-hydrophobic coatings, e.g., to prevent biofouling.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
