Hydrogen-bonded bis-2-pyridone liquid crystalline main-chain association polymers

摘要

Synthetic polymers are classically generated by initiating a cascade of covalent bond formations. However, inspired by nature, and her ability to catalyse, template, and organize complex structures, much interest has been placed on the biomimetic construction of macromolecules through the collective and cooperative self-assembly of smaller molecules by hydrogen bonding (H-bonding). This mimicry is all the more attractive for H-bonding sites may be tailored in strength by altering the nature of the H-bond donor and acceptor groups in addition to the number of participating bonds per association, thereby allowing some design control over their reversibility. To-date, quite an number of materials have been made using this approach, with the promise that their cooperative, non-covalent make-up may offer unconventional properties.