Platinum‐terpyridine complexes in polymers: A novel approach for the synthesis of self‐healing metallopolymers

ABSTRACT The synthesis of novel platinum‐based metallopolymers for self‐healing applications is presented. For this purpose, terpyridine‐platinum complexes were studied using isothermal titration calorimetry regarding their complexation behavior with pyridine. The obtained knowledge was utilized for the preparation of metallopolymers using the reversible addition fragmentation chain‐transfer ‐polymerization technique resulting in well‐defined polymers. Crosslinking with a tetravalent pyridine‐crosslinker enabled the synthesis of a metallopolymer network featuring self‐healing properties. From these experiments, more information about the molecular preconditions for the design of healable metal‐containing polymers could be drawn enabling a further optimization of these systems in the future. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47064.