Metal-carbene-based dynamic polymer networks: self-healing functional materials – CARBHEAL

Metallopolymers appear as very promising self-healing materials due to the reversible character of their coordination bonds. The objective of this project is to introduce metallopolymers based on N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-metal complexes to the field of self-healing materials. Polymer-supported N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with various structures will be synthesized and cross-linked by coordination with metal species. A systematic study polymer structure/self-healing properties will be conducted. The dynamics of the metal-NHC bonds, depending on the ligand structure and metal nature, will be quantified by single molecule force spectroscopy experiments on similar single chain nanoparticles. A relationship with the bulk properties of the polymer networks observed by rheology will be established to bridge the gap between single molecule dynamics and bulk mechanics.