A toolbox of oligopeptide-modified polymers for tailored elastomers

Emmanuel Croisier, Su Liang, Thomas Schweizer, Sandor Balog, Marijana Mionić, Ruben Snellings, Joël Cugnoni, Véronique Michaud and Holger Frauenrath ()
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Emmanuel Croisier: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials, EPFL – STI – IMX – LMOM
Su Liang: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials, EPFL – STI – IMX – LMOM
Thomas Schweizer: ETH Zürich, HCI H 531
Sandor Balog: Adolphe Merkle Institute, Route de l'Ancienne Papeterie
Marijana Mionić: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Powder Technology Laboratory, EPFL – STI – IMX – LTP
Ruben Snellings: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Laboratory of Construction Materials, EPFL – STI – IMX – LMC
Joël Cugnoni: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Laboratory of Applied Mechanics and Reliability Analysis, EPFL – STI – IGM – LMAF
Véronique Michaud: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Laboratory of Polymer and Composite Technology, EPFL – STI – IMX – LTC
Holger Frauenrath: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Institute of Materials, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials, EPFL – STI – IMX – LMOM

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Biomaterials are constructed from limited sets of building blocks but exhibit extraordinary and versatile properties, because hierarchical structure formation lets them employ identical supramolecular motifs for different purposes. Here we exert a similar degree of structural control in synthetic supramolecular elastomers and thus tailor them for a broad range of thermomechanical properties. We show that oligopeptide-terminated polymers selectively self-assemble into small aggregates or nanofibrils, depending on the length of the oligopeptides. This process is self-sorting if differently long oligopeptides are combined so that different nanostructures coexist in bulk mixtures. Blends of polymers with oligopeptides matching in length furnish reinforced elastomers that exhibit shear moduli one order of magnitude higher than the parent polymers. By contrast, novel interpenetrating supramolecular networks that display excellent vibration damping properties are obtained from blends comprising non-matching oligopeptides or unmodified polymers. Hence, blends of oligopeptide-modified polymers constitute a toolbox for tailored elastomers with versatile properties.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5728

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