Advanced "self-healing" materials by side-chain modified terpyridine-containing polymers

Furthermore, the preparation of cross-linked materials in higher\nconcentrations has been performed. Gels have been obtained and studied\nregarding their swelling behavior.Poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers bearing terpyridine moieties in the polymer side chain were synthesized using a free radical polymerization\nprocess. The obtained copolymers were characterized by 1H NMR\nspectroscopy and gel permeations chromatography (GPC), respectively.\nSupramolecular cross-linking of the terpyridine-containing copolymers was\ninvestigated upon addition of transition metal ions (Fe(II) and Zn(II)) in\ndiluted solutions. The complexation reactions were followed in detail by UVvis\nand viscosity titration experiments. Addition of iron(II) ions led to a higher\nviscosity compared to zinc(II) ions, due to the higher stability of the iron(II)-\nbis-terpyridine complexes. The complex formation could be reversed\ncompletely by addition of HEEDTA which is a strong competing ligand. It\nclearly demonstrates the reversible properties of the investigated materials.