HIgh Performance nanostructured POlymer networks using POlymerizaTion-induced self-Assembly in reactive MEdia – HIPPOPOTAME

HIPPOPOTAME aims at establishing simple and general routes to design industrially-relevant thermosets with extended lifetime through mechanical reinforcement induced by organization of block copolymers as vesicles and more particularly as wormlike micelles in epoxy networks. To do so, HIPPOPOTAME will rely on an original approach combining Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly in reactive media (RAFT PISA in epoxy precursors) and supramolecular chemistry (H-bonding stickers) to precisely control the block copolymer morphology and the inclusion of sacrificial bonds. The newly designed cross-linked networks will exhibit an improved damage tolerance without any noticeable plasticization.