Taking advantage of β-hydroxy amine enhanced reactivity and functionality for the synthesis of dual covalent adaptable networks

Abstract

This study demonstrates the advantage of using β-hydroxy amine monomers for the synthesis of CANs. The increased reactivity of β-hydroxy amines towards the aza-Michael addition compared to their alkyl equivalents was highlighted by kinetic analyses coupled with rheological experiments. New catalyst-free covalent adaptable networks (CANs) were thus synthesized by poly aza-Michael addition using either β-hydroxy amine or its non-hydroxy analog. These CANs exhibit dynamic aza-Michael exchange under thermal stimulus. The synergistic effect of exchange reactions was highlighted by stress-relaxation and frequency sweep analyses. CANs were finally reshaped and their chemical and physical properties were compared to the initial ones.