Polymer-bridged nanofibrils in a high-molar-mass polyester <i>via</i> co-assembly of benzenetricarboxamide end groups and an additive

Benzenetricarboxamide (BTA) derivatives are versatile compounds widely employed as nucleating agents in commercial semicrystalline plastics and as supramolecular ligands in self-assembling telechelic polymer-based organogels, hydrogels, and bulk elastomers. However, their effectiveness as supramolecular modifiers is typically limited to low-molar-mass apolar polymers. Here, we report the supramolecular aggregation of a BTA-end-functionalized semicrystalline aliphatic polyester with a number-average molar mass several times its entanglement molar mass, blended with a matching low-molar-mass BTA additive. In these blends, the BTA end groups and additive co-assemble to form a new phase comprising a network of polymer-bridged nanofibrils. This network gives rise to a high-melt-strength rubbery regime that is absent from the pure telechelic polyester but extends to temperatures well above its melting point in the blends. Moreover, the nanofibrils prove to be highly efficient nucleating agents for crystallization of the polyester, significantly outperforming bulk additive precipitates. Our findings hence demonstrate that the co-assembly of polymer end groups with a low-molar-mass additive may facilitate supramolecular aggregate formation in polymer matrices where end-modification alone is insufficient, leading to materials with increased melt strength, crystallization rates, thermal dimensional stability, and valuable benefits for industrial applications.