Laboratory of Smart Materials

• The first stage of the project was focused on synthesis of functional construction blocks. One of the main elements of the project is synthesis of polymer systems capable of restoration of shape. As such polymers we have synthesized analogs of polyethylene terephthalate and polysiloxane polymers with regular distribution of hydroxyl fragments along the linear chain. Hard blocks that reversibly assemble into regularly distributed domains unite with soft cross-linked network structures to control the level of intermolecular interaction in the system and, thus, ensures viscoelastic recovery after deformation and destruction of reversible links.
• The Laboratory has synthesized block copolymers of types АВА and ВАВ (different combinations of polyelectrolyte and glass-like blocks).
• Our researchers have synthesized nano- and microcapsules based on molecular silica sol and super-branching polyethoxy siloxane. We have produced unique hollow capsules including those less than 100 nm in size which is particularly important for applications as part of polymer composite coatings. A patent application has been filed for the method of production of microcapsules.
• We have synthesized molecular nanoobjects, in particular, hybrid nanogels with nucleus shell structure and multiple-beam stars with various numbers of beams: 4-6-12 depending on the size of the branching cyclosiloxane. The molecular nanoobjects have been characterized using viscometer and rheology which confirmed their higher diffusion mobility in comparison with classical linear polymers. Exactly these characteristics are crucial for usage of the specified components as part of self-healing polymer compositions.
• By means of computer modeling we have studied and characterized capability of polyelectrolyte blocks to self-organize depending on the nature and sizes of counter-ions.
• Using physical and chemical methods we have investigated three groups of synthetic objects that ate the foundation (element base) for producing self-healing compositions. As a result we have fully identified their structure and assessed the main characteristics according to which they will be used as part of self-finding compositions.

Education and career development:

• We have organized conferences: 14th Andrianov all-Russian conference with international participation «Organosilicon compounds. Synthesis, qualities, applications» (Moscow, 2018 ); the 7th Bakeev all-Russian conference with international participation «Macromolecular nanoobjets and polymer nanocomposites» (Moscow, 2018); the Open Competition-conference of Research Works in Chemistry of elemento-organic compounds and polymers «INEROS OPEN CUP» (Moscow, 2018).
• One candidate dissertation has been defended.

Other results: Members of the academic staff of the Laboratory in 2018 received 5 grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Science Foundation.

Collaborations:

• N.S. Enikolopov Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia), Moscow State University (Russia): joint research, collaborative scientific events
• DWI Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials (German): joint research, scientific internships