Molecular Approach to Supramolecular Polymer Assembly by Small Angle Neutron Scattering

We present a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) study of the association of heterocomplementary telechelic polypropylene glycol (PPG) polymers, bearing either diaminotriazine (DAT) or thymine (Thy) stickers as end-groups, both in the melt and in dilute solution. The SANS data are critically examined for the architecture and morphology as well as relative extent of linear assembly in the apolar solvent toluene. A random phase approximation (RPA) approach, adapted for a supramolecularly assembled multiblock copolymer is presented, which allows to extract the interaction parameters between the constituents and the medium. From the proposed approach, which describes very well heterocomplementary hydrogen-bonding telechelic polymers in both diluted toluene solution and in the melt, we conclude that linear association prevails.