Diels-Alder click chemistry is a widely researched topic of chemistry through which polymers can be synthesized under relatively mild conditions. These polymers can then be crosslinked through Diels-Alder (DA) chemistry into materials containing temperature responsive linkers. In this project, DA bonded materials of varying crosslink density and polymer length were made into gel-like materials and tested to gain insight into their dissociative and dynamic properties. The dynamic properties of the materials were analyzed with respect to their activation energies as shown through Arrhenius plots and compared to each other to see trends dependent on the changing elements of the materials. The materials were tested at a range of temperatures to analyze their behaviors as the fraction of bonded and unbonded DA unit changes. The materials were also analyzed with respect to strain percentage through stress-relaxation testing; these tests found that the crosslink density inversely impacts the activation energy, while polymer length does not have a significant impact on the activation energy of the material. Future research into this field will involve continuation of material optimization made using other dynamic systems.
Authors: Camaryn Bennett, Dominik Konkolewicz
Advisor: Dominik Konkolewicz, Chemistry and Biochemistry
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