Assembly via hydrogen bonds of low molar mass compounds into supramolecular polymers

Supramolecular polymers are linear chains of low molar mass monomers held together by reversible and highly directional non-covalent interactions. In suitable experimental conditions, they can display polymer-like rheological or mechanical properties, because of their macromolecular architecture. However, the fact that non-covalent interactions are involved means that the assembly can be reversibly broken and can be under thermodynamic equilibrium. This reversibility brings additional features compared to usual polymers, which potentially lead to new properties, such as improved processing, self-healing behavior or stimuli responsiveness. The present chapter focuses first on particular examples where macroscopic properties of HBSPs are clearly demonstrated, and then on the numerous engineering options explored so far to obtain functional materials. Finally, because the obtained properties depend strongly on the molar mass of the supramolecular polymer in the conditions of use, the last part describes the techniques available to characterize the molar mass of supramolecular polymers.