Tailoring viscoelastic properties of dynamic supramolecular poly(butadiene)-based elastomers

The discovery and development of new adhesive materials is critical for real-world applications of polymeric composite materials. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a library of structurally related phase-separated supramolecular polyurethanes whose mechanical properties and adhesive characteristics can be enhanced through minor structural modifications of the polymer end-group. The interplay between phase separation of the hard domain polar end-groups and soft polybutadiene do-mains, coupled with tuneable self-assembly afforded by the polar end-groups, gives rise to a class of materials with tuneable mechanical properties. Exceptionally strong supramolecular adhesives and mechanically robust self-healing elastomers were identified. The mechanical properties were investi-gated through tensile testing. Finally, rheological analysis of the supramolecular materials was used to identify suitable healing and adhesive temperatures in addition to elucidate the supramolecular poly-urethanes' thermal-responsive nature.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).