Dynamics of self-healing supramolecular guanine-modified poly(n-butyl methacrylate-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) copolymers

Abstract Self-healing is a nature-inspired characteristic that is imparted in synthetic polymeric materials through the integration of reversible supramolecular bonds following different design concepts. Generally, the dynamics of supramolecular bonds regulates timescale of the self-healing process, specifically in polymeric systems with a homogeneous morphology. Herein, we explore the utility of guanine as a hydrogen bonding group to construct supramolecular polymeric systems based on poly (n-butyl methacrylate). For this purpose, we follow a three-step reaction approach, including a living radical copolymerization, deprotection of the functional comonomer, and grafting of the guanine grou…