Modulating Thermal Properties of Polymers through Crystal Engineering

Crystal engineering has exclusively focused on the development of advanced materials based on small organic molecules. We now demonstrate how the cocrystallization of a polymer yields a material with significantly enhanced thermal stability but equivalent mechanical flexibility. Isomorphous replacement of one of the cocrystal components enables the formation of solid solutions with melting points that can be readily fine-tuned over a usefully wide temperature range. The results of this study credibly extend the scope of crystal engineering and cocrystallization from small molecules to polymers.