Hydrogen-Bonded Supramolecular Polymer Adhesives: Straightforward Synthesis and Strong Substrate Interaction

Chen, S., et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2022, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202203876   

High-performance adhesives are important in view of reversible bonding/debonding chemistries, allowing to efficiently recycle and separate polymer blends and composites. We herein identify a straightforward synthetic strategy towards universal hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) polymeric adhesives, using a side-chain barbiturate (Ba) and Hamilton wedge (HW) functionalized copolymer. Starting from a rubbery copolymer containing thiolactone derivatives, Ba and HW moieties are tethered as pendant groups via an efficient one-pot two-step amine-thiol-bromo conjugation. The presence of individual Ba or HW moieties enables strong binding to a range of substrates, outstanding compared to commercial glues and reported adhesives.