Combining vinylogous urethane and β-amino ester chemistry for dynamic material design

This study combines vinylogous urethane (VU) and beta-amino ester chemistry for the synthesis of covalent adaptable networks (CANs). The resulting CANs are synthesised using a range of diacetoacetates and commercially available diacrylates along with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, which functions as both amine and crosslinker. The CANs are extensively analysed to determine both their thermal and rheological properties. Several re-processable elastomeric materials are obtained, thanks to the use of polypropylene glycol-containing diacetoacetates of varying molecular weights and are analysed in more detail and compared with VU and amino-ester reference materials. Frequency sweep measurements show no noticeable drop in storage modulus of these CANs between 100-180 degrees C, indicating a maintained crosslink density. The elastomeric CANs are recycled multiple times, exhibiting no clear loss of dynamic behaviour or any obvious side-reactions.

Automated summary

This study combines vinylogous urethane (VU) and beta-amino ester chemistry to synthesize covalent adaptable networks (CANs). The thermal and rheological properties of the resulting CANs are extensively analyzed. The study shows that these CANs have good storage modulus and re-processability.