Paper Number
PO106 

Session
Poster Session

Title
How supramolecular assemblies control dynamics of associative polymers

Presentation Date and Time
October 14, 2015 (Wednesday) 6:05

Track / Room
Poster Session / Atrium/Harborview

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

1. Goldansaz, Hadi (Université catholique de Louvain, Bio and Soft Matter)
2. van Ruymbeke, Evelyne (Université catholique de Louvain, Bio and Soft Matter)
3. Wübbenhorst, Michael (KU Leuven, Department of Physics and Astronomy)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Hadi Goldansaz¹, Evelyne van Ruymbeke¹, and Michael Wübbenhorst^2
1Bio and Soft Matter, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; ²Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Leuven 3001, Belgium

Speaker / Presenter 
Goldansaz, Hadi

Text of Abstract
Dynamics of supramolecular networks made up of partially hydrolyzed poly(n-butyl acrylate) [PBA] is investigated. These linear entangled random copolymers [PBA—r-AA] self-assemble via hydrogen bonding interactions between carboxylic acid groups. Two types of supramolecular assemblies are revealed, i.e. binary assembly of carboxylic acid dimmers and collective assembly of dimers into distinct Poly(acrylic acid) [PAA] domains. The latter is proved by emergence of new relaxation processes in broad band dielectric spectroscopy while the former is evident by increase of glass transition temperature as well as retardation of segmental mobility observed by rheology. Therefore a sea-island morphology containing geometrically confined PAA nanodomains embedded in a PnBA-rich matrix is suggested for the supramolecular network. Thermodynamic theories are employed to prove existence of an interlayer with restricted mobility between the two phases. A fraction of PBA—r-AA segments which are trapped between more than one PAA domain is considered to describe the low frequency plateau in storage modulus that is seen beyond the plateau modulus of PnBA as well as strain hardening in both shear and elongation fields. Finally based on the observation in this work and wealth of literature on supramolecular systems, a general microstructure is proposed for the associating polymers in which supramolecular moieties are situated along the contour length. This microstructure appropriately describes different dynamic observations made by rheology, calorimetry and dielectrics.