Synthesis of poly(amide-thioether) with tunable hydrophilicity via thiolactone chemistry and its application in oil-in-oil emulsions

Ultrafast, Robust, and Reversible Self-Assembled Nanofibers via Thiolactone Chemistry Strategy

Self-assembly in supramolecular chemistry is crucial for nanostructure creation but faces challenges like slow speeds and lack of reversibility. In this study, a novel comb-like polymer poly(amide sulfide) (PAS) based on thiolactone chemistry is reported, which rapidly self-assemble into stable nanofibers, offering excellent robustness and reversibility in the self-assembled structure. The PAS backbone contains pairs of amide bonds, each linked to an alkyl side chain in a controlled 2:1 ratio. The polymer rapidly forms fibrillar micelles driven by the hydrophobic side chains and then undergoes hydrogen-bonded cross-linking between the main-chain amide bonds to form stable nanofibers. N, N-dimethylacetamide/LiCl solution allows for reversible regulation of nanofiber self-assembly, without altering the fiber properties. It is anticipated that this line of research will enrich the field of macromolecular self-assembly with important advances toward the realization of ultrafast, robust, and reversible self-assembly systems.

Tailor-made urethane-linked alkyl-celluloses: A Promising Stabilizer for Oil-in-oil Pickering Emulsions

Oil-in-oil emulsions or nonaqueous emulsions are formulated from two immiscible organic solvents, which provide an ideal platform for water-sensitive systems such as readily hydrolyzable reagents and polymerization in anhydrous conditions....

Thiolactone chemistry, a versatile platform for macromolecular engineering

This review covers the extensive use of γ-thiolactone chemistry as a versatile and powerful tool for macromolecular engineering and the preparation of various polymer architectures, such as functional, alternating, or sequence-controlled (co)polymers.

Polythiolactone-Decorated Silica Particles: A Versatile Approach for Surface Functionalization, Catalysis and Encapsulation

The surface chemistry of colloidal silica has tremendous effects on its properties and applications. Commonly the design of silica particles is based on their de novo synthesis followed by surface functionalization leading to tailormade properties for a specific purpose. Here, the design of robust "precursor" polymer-decorated silica nano- and microparticles is demonstrated, which allows for easy post-modification by polymer embedded thiolactone chemistry. To obtain this organic-inorganic hybrid material, silica particles (SiO2 P) were functionalized via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) with poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA)-poly(thiolactone acrylamide (PThlAm) co-polymer brushes. Exploiting the versatility of thiolactone post-modification, a system was developed that could be used in three exemplary applications: 1) the straightforward molecular post-functionalization to tune the surface polarity, and therefore the dispersibility in various solvents; 2) the immobilization of metal nanoparticles into the polymer brushes via the in situ formation of free thiols that preserved catalytic activity in a model reaction; 3) the formation of redox-responsive, permeable polymer capsules by crosslinking the thiolactone moieties with cystamine dihydrochloride (CDH) followed by dissolution of the silica core.

Biomimetic Brushlike Slippery Coatings with Mechanically Robust, Self-Cleaning, and Icephobic Properties

In this work, a facile strategy was proposed to prepare a series of brushlike thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coatings with mechanically robust, self-cleaning, and icephobic performance. Through a simple multicomponent click reaction of thiolactone with a diamine compound and mono-ethenyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (mono-ethenyl-PDMS), a diol with amide groups and flexible PDMS was synthesized, and a novel TPU could be obtained productively by a reaction of isocyanate and diol. The unique chain structure endowed TPU films with ascendant self-stratifying properties. During solvent vapor annealing, flexible PDMS chains migrated and enriched to the surface while urethane linkages with a strong interaction tended to locate at the substrate. Based on this, TPU-PDMS films exhibited mechanically robust property, and the tensile strength value of TPU-PDMS-3 showed a sharp increase to 48.62 MPa. The resultant TPU-PDMS-10 coatings exhibited a water repellent behavior and possessed superior movability of droplet water, and also the dirt on it could be readily removed by rinsing with water without leaving any traces. Furthermore, three different criteria were used to characterize the icephobic performance. The coatings exhibited a significantly lower freezing point (approximately -27 °C) of supercooled water, longer delay-icing time, and less ice adhesion shear strength. Therefore, these novel brushlike TPU coatings have tremendous potential applications.