Polymers made via standard polymerization techniques are used in numerous industrial applications.
However, the properties of the resulting materials are mostly averaged and not precisely controlled
because of the inherent dispersity of the polymers used in their production. Understanding and
mastering the principles that rule the properties of the materials is crucial as this knowledge can
allow the generation of materials with unprecedented properties. Sequence-defined synthetic
macromolecules possessing discrete molecular mass and perfectly defined microstructure are ideal
candidates for studying the structure-property relationships in those materials. This project will
target the use of sequence-defined oligoamides (SDOs) for understanding properties of both
thermoplastic and reprocessable thermoset materials. For that, protocols for SDO preparation in
large scale will be developed. In a first study, polycondensation of SDOs will be carried out to obtain
polyamide analogues to nylons, and an in-depth material analysis is planned. On the other hand,
SDOs containing crosslinkable moieties will be prepared for their use in covalent adaptable networks.
The influence of sequence control, length of oligomers and pendent group functionality on the
material properties will be investigated in order to get a fundamental insight on the effect of these
parameters on the reprocessing of the networks and be able to fine-tune them for specific
applications.