Harnessing Formamide Groups to Enhance the Heat‐Resistance of Poly(β‐amino esters) with Investigation into Reprocessability and Fluorescence

Abstract

AbstractPoly(β‐amino ester)s, which can be reprocessed via aza‐Michael adducts catalyzing transesterification, are a type of highly promising thermosetting material. However, the low heat deformation temperatures of poly(β‐amino ester)s limit their applications in high‐performance materials. In this study, formamide groups are introduced into poly(β‐amino ester) networks to prepare a series of poly(β‐hydrazide ester)s (PHE)s. The presence of formamide groups in PHE networks is found to be effective in improving the heat deformation temperatures (glass transition temperature, Tg = 130 °C) of PHEs through hydrogen bonding without affecting network rearrangement rates. This enabled reprocessing temperatures and times of PHEs to remain close to those of poly(β‐ amino ester)s. In addition, the aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) of ester and formamide groups allowed PHEs to demonstrate fluorescence, potentially expanding their application gallery. These discoveries offer a new way to produce high‐value reprocessable materials that possess both high heat resistance and fluorescence capability.