Routes to Hydrogen Bonding Chain-End Functionalized Polymers

Abstract

The contribution of supramolecular chemistry to polymer science opens new perspectives for the design of polymer materials exhibiting valuable properties and easier processability due to the dynamic nature of non-covalent interactions. Hydrogen bonding polymers can be used as supramolecular units for yielding larger assemblies that possess attractive features, arising from the combination of polymer properties and the responsiveness of hydrogen bonds. The post-polymerization modification of reactive end-groups is the most common procedure for generating such polymers. Examples of polymerizations mediated by hydrogen bonding-functionalized precursors have also recently been reported. This contribution reviews the current synthetic routes toward hydrogen bonding sticker chain-end functionalized polymers.

Keywords: hydrogen bonding; macromolecular engineering; stimuli-sensitive polymers; supramolecular chemistry; telechelics.