title: Simultaneous covalent and noncovalent hybrid polymerizations.
abstract: Covalent and supramolecular polymers are two distinct forms of soft matter, composed of long chains of covalently and noncovalently linked structural units, respectively. We report a hybrid system formed by simultaneous covalent and supramolecular polymerizations of monomers. The process yields cylindrical fibers of uniform diameter that contain covalent and supramolecular compartments, a morphology not observed when the two polymers are formed independently. The covalent polymer has a rigid aromatic imine backbone with helicoidal conformation, and its alkylated peptide side chains are structurally identical to the monomer molecules of supramolecular polymers. In the hybrid system, covalent chains grow to higher average molar mass relative to chains formed via the same polymerization in the absence of a supramolecular compartment. The supramolecular compartments can be reversibly removed and re-formed to reconstitute the hybrid structure, suggesting soft materials with novel delivery or repair functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Zhilin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials and Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Faifan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tantakitti
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Street, 11th floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Liam C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Schatz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Department of Materials and Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Street, 11th floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. s-stupp@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Samuel I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Stupp