Synthesis, characterization and self-assembly behavior of metallopolymers using metal complexes with special ligand design

金属聚合物代表了一类特殊的超分子聚合物，它由两个不同的构件组成。金属络合物和(合成的)聚合物结合成一种材料，具有两者的特性。这一概念应在目前的项目中进一步探讨。因此，新型金属聚合物将具有优异的自组装行为，并基于这种定义的纳米结构形成，具有新颖的非凡性能。为此，以叔吡啶为配体的具有形成限定分子组装倾向的金属络合物将与选定的聚合物主链结合，以触发所得到的金属聚合物的优越组装工艺，潜在地提供这种材料的新的或先进的性能和应用，例如，自愈合或形状记忆行为。为了获得超结构和结构-性能关系，金属络合物的自组装过程应该与也具有自组装纳米结构的聚合物相结合(例如，结晶聚合物、相分离嵌段共聚物)。一个中心目标将是阐明和控制这两种相互作用的相互作用，以及这对整体组装行为是有利还是不利。该项目的一个主要挑战将是对所获得的材料在溶液中以及在固态中的表征。为此，将应用一系列不同的最新技术，以可视化所获得的金属聚合物的结构，并了解金属络合物对聚合物行为的影响，反之亦然。后者对金属聚合物的潜在应用特别感兴趣。因此，这些新材料的刺激响应行为也将在本项目中进行研究。

Metallopolymers represent a special class of supramolecular polymers, which consists of two different building blocks. Metal complexes and (synthetic) polymers are combined into one material featuring properties of both. This concept should be further explored within the current project. Thus, new kinds of metallopolymers will be synthesized featuring a superior self-assembly behavior and, based on this defined nanostructure formation, novel extraordinary properties. For this purpose, metal complexes based on terpyridine as ligand with a tendency to form defined molecular assemblies will be combined with selected polymeric backbones in order to trigger superior assembly processes of the resulting metallopolymers, potentially providing new or advanced properties and applications of such materials, e.g., self-healing or shape-memory behavior. To obtain superstructures as well as structure-property relationships, the self-assembly process of the metal complexes should be combined with polymers also featuring self-assembling nanostructures (e.g., crystalline polymers, phase-separation block copolymers). A central target will be the elucidation and control of the interplay of both interactions and whether this is beneficial or disadvantageous to the overall assembly behavior. A main challenge of the project will be the characterization of the obtained materials in solution as well as in the solid state. For this purpose, a range of different state-of-the-art techniques will be applied in order to visualize the obtained structures of the metallopolymers as well as to understand the influence of the metal complex(es) on the polymer behavior and vice versa. The latter one is in particular interesting for potential applications of the metallopolymers. Thus, the stimuli-responsive behavior of these new kind of materials will also be studied in the current project.