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

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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.