Synthesis and Properties of Reversible Disulfide Bond-based Self-healing Polyurethane with Triple Shape Memory Properties

A reversible disulfide bond-based self-healing polyurethane with triple shape memory properties was prepared by chain extending of random copolymer poly(lactide-co-caprolactone)(PCLA),hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI),polytetrahydrofuran(PTMEG),and 4,4'-aminophenyl disulfide.The chemical structures were characterized using~1H nuclear magnetic resonance (~1H-NMR)spectroscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).The thermal properties,selfhealing properties,triple-shape memory effect,and quantitative shape memory response were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),tensile tests,two-step programming process thermal mechanical experiments,and subsequent progressive thermal recovery.The self-healing mechanism and procedures were investigated using polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and an optical profiler.It was concluded that self-healing properties (up to 60%) and triple-shape memory properties around 35 and 500C (with shape fixation ratios of 94.3%and 98.3%,shape recovery ratios of 76.6%and 85.1%,respectively) were integrated to the shape memory polyurethane.As-prepared polyurethane is expected to have potential applications in multi-shape coatings,films,and step-by-step deploying structures.     

Thermo‐responsive shape memory behavior of poly(styrene‐b‐isoprene‐b‐styrene)/ethylene‐1‐octene copolymer thermoplastic elastomer blends

Thermally‐triggered shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials, which are capable of changing their shapes when they are exposed a heat stimulant. Blending semi‐crystalline and elastomeric polymers is an easy and low‐cost way to obtain thermo‐responsive SMPs. In this work, novel poly(ethylene‐co‐1‐octene) (PEO) and poly(styrene‐b‐isoprene‐b‐styrene) (SIS) thermoplastic elastomer blends were prepared via melt blending method. The morphological, mechanical, rheological properties and shape memory behaviours of the blends were investigated in detail. In morphological analysis, co‐continuous morphology was found for 50 wt% PEO/50 wt% SIS and 60 wt% PEO/40 wt% SIS (60PEO/40SIS) blends. The shape memory analysis performing by dynamic mechanical analyzer showed that the 60PEO/40SIS blend also exhibited the optimum shape memory performance with 95.74% shape fixing and 98.98% shape recovery. Qualitatively shape memory analysis in hot‐water pointed out that the amount of semi‐crystalline PEO promotes shape fixing ability of the blends whereas SIS content enhances shape recovery capability. Although the SIS and PEO are immiscible polymers, the blends of them were exhibited good elastomeric properties with regard to tensile strength, toughness, and elongation at break.     

A design of shape memory networks of poly(ε‐caprolactone)s via POSS‐POSS interactions

In this contribution, we reported a design of shape memory networks of poly(ε‐caprolactone)s (PCLs) via POSS‐POSS interactions. First, a series of novel organic‐inorganic PCL stars with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) termini were synthesized via the combination of ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and the copper (I)‐catalyzed cycloaddition of alkynyl with azido groups. It was found that the organic‐inorganic PCL stars significantly displayed shape memory properties with about 100% of recovery. The morphological observation showed that in the organic‐inorganic PCL stars, the POSS cages at the ends of PCL chains were self‐organized into the spherical POSS microdomains with the size of 10 to 20 nm in diameter. The POSS microdomains behaved as the netpoints, resulting in the formation of physically crosslinked networks. The novel physically crosslinked networks endowed the organic‐inorganic nanocomposites with shape memory properties.     

聚己内酯/聚酯丙烯酸酯共混物的辐射交联及其形状记忆行为

研究了聚酯丙烯酸酯 (PEA)类多官能团物质与聚己内酯 (PCL)共混物的辐射交联效应 .分别考察了多官能团PEA的用量、官能团数目、辐射交联剂量等因素对聚己内酯的辐射交联规律、动态力学性能、形状记忆行为等性能的影响 .结果表明 ,PCL PEA共混物的辐射交联规律不再遵从Charlesby Pinner关系式 ,而是符合陈欣方 刘克静 唐敖庆关系式 .多官能团PEA的加入可以显著提高PCL辐射交联的效率 ;相同剂量时 ,官能团数目越多、用量越大的样品 ,生成的凝胶含量越多 ,强化辐射交联效应越大 .DMA分析表明 ,PCL强化辐照交联后的弹性模量和耐热性能显著提高 .强化交联PCL在其熔点以上都呈现出高弹态平台 ,可以实现形状记忆 .且交联度较高 ,形状记忆恢复速率较快 .     

Study on poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐based shape memory copolymer fiber prepared by bulk polymerization and melt spinning

In this paper, a poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐based shape memory polyurethane fiber was prepared by melt spinning. The shape memory switching temperature was the melting transition temperature of the soft segment phase mainly composed of PCL at 47°C. The mechanical properties especially shape memory effect were explicitly characterized by thermomechanical cyclic tensile testing. The results suggest that the prepared fiber has shape memory effects. The prepared 40 denier shape memory fiber had a tenacity of about 1.0 cN/dtex, and strain at break 562–660%. The shape fixity ratio reached 84% and the recovery ratio reached 95% under drawing at high temperature and thermal recovery testing.¹ Finally, the fiber thermal/mechanical properties were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of modified multi‐walled carbon nanotubes as a reinforcement for epoxy shape‐memory polymer composites

Effectively improving the mechanical properties and thermal resistance of epoxy shape‐memory polymers (ESMPs) without affecting their shape‐memory performance is necessary to expand these polymers in practical applications. In this article, modified multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared and used as efficient reinforcement for enhancing the comprehensive properties of ESMPs. Increases of nearly 289% to 444% for impact strength and 112% to 184% for tensile force were obtained by adding only 0.1 to 1 wt% epoxy‐modified MWCNTs. The addition of unmodified and carboxyl‐modified MWCNTs was also investigated but showed less impact on the mechanical properties of the ESMPs than epoxy‐modified MWCNTs. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) showed that less than 1 wt% modified MWCNTs can enhance the heat resistance of ESMPs greatly. Although the shape recovery time for composite materials increased upon adding the MWCNTs, the entire recovery time was still less than 1 minute, and the shape recovery rate was relatively high, nearly 100%.     

Synthesis of a novel phosphorus‐containing curing agent and its effects on the flame retardancy,thermal degradation and moisture resistance of epoxy resins

A novel phosphorus‐containing compound diphenyl‐(1, 2‐dicarboxylethyl)‐phosphine oxide defined as DPDCEPO was synthesized and used as a flame retardant curing agent for epoxy resins (EP). The chemical structure of the prepared DPDCEPO was well characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance. The DPDCEPO was mixed with curing agent of phthalic anhydride (PA) with various weight ratios into epoxy resins to prepare flame retardant EP thermosets. The flame retardant properties, combustion behavior and thermal analysis of the EP thermosets were respectively investigated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical burning tests (UL‐94), cone calorimeter measurement, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests. The surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the char residues for EP thermosets were respectively investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The water resistant properties of the cured EP were evaluated by putting the samples into distilled water at 70°C for 168 hr. The results revealed that the EP/20 wt% DPDCEPO/80 wt% PA thermosets successfully passed UL‐94 V‐0 flammability rating and the LOI value was as high as 33.2%. The cone test results revealed that the incorporation of DPDCEPO effectively reduced the combustion parameters of the epoxy resin thermosets, such as heat release rate and total heat release. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis test demonstrated that the glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased with the increase of DPDCEPO content. The TGA results indicated that the incorporation of DPDCEPO promoted the decomposition of epoxy resin matrix ahead of time and led to a higher char yield and thermal stability at high temperatures. The surface morphological structures and analysis of the XPS of the char residues of EP thermosets revealed that the introduction of DPDCEPO benefited the formation of a sufficient, compact and homogeneous char layer with rich flame retardant elements on the epoxy resin material surface during combustion. The mechanical properties and water resistance of the cured epoxy resins were also measured. After water resistance tests, the EP/20 wt% DPDCEPO/80 wt% PA thermosets retained excellent flame retardancy, and the moisture adsorption of the EP thermosets decreased with the increase of DPDCEPO content in EP thermosets because of the existence of the P–C bonds and the rigid aromatic hydrophobic structure in DPDCEPO. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of body-temperature-triggered shape-memory polyurethane with biocompatibility using isosorbide and castor oil

Shape memory polyurethanes (SMPUs) have attracted much attention in the biomedical field because they can easily control the transition temperature (T_trans) to shape memory and are biocompatible. In this study, a shape memory polyurethane with both biocompatibility and a T_trans close to the body temperature was synthesized by using natural derivatives of isosorbide and castor oil in place of petroleum-based materials. Isosorbide and castor oil were used to form net points, and polycaprolactone diol (PCL diol) acted as the switching segment. The synthesized four polyurethane (PCL diol/isosorbide/castor oil, PICU-1, 2, 3, 4) with different isosorbide contents exhibited desired thermal and mechanical properties. In the thermo-cyclic shape memory testing experiment, the PICU series demonstrated good shape memory property, with more than 95% shape recovery ratio (R_r) and more than 90% shape fixity ratio (R_f), and PICU-3 recovered its shape within 20 s in a 37 °C water bath. In addition, the PICU series proved to be safe materials with excellent biocompatibility, as indicated by the observed C2C12 cells viability and proliferation. The stent made with the PICU-3 film showed near complete magnetization at 37 °C within 18 s and proved to be a suitable self-expanding stent.     

Click coupled graphene for fabrication of high‐performance polymer nanocomposites

An effective technique of using click coupled graphene to obtain high‐performance polymer nanocomposites is presented. Poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐click coupled graphene sheet (GS) reinforcing fillers are synthesized by the covalent functionalization of graphene oxide with PCL, and subsequently the PCL‐GS as a reinforcing filler was incorporated into a shape memory polyurethane matrix by solution casting. The PCL‐click coupled GS has shown excellent interaction with the polyurethane matrix, and as a consequence, the mechanical properties, thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and thermo‐responsive shape memory properties of the resulting nanocomposite films could be enhanced remarkably. In particular, for polyurethane nanocomposites incorporated with 2% PCL‐GS, the breaking stress, Young's modulus, elongation‐at‐break, and thermal stability have been improved by 109%, 158%, 28%, and 71 °C, respectively. This click coupling protocol offers the possibility to fully combine the extraordinary performance of GSs with the properties of polyurethane. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2013     

Thermally-activated shape memory behaviour of bionanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals

Bionanocomposites with thermally-activated shape memory ability have been designed based on a synthesized poly(ester-urethane) matrix reinforced with both neat and functionalized cellulose nanocrystals. The functionalization of the cellulose nanocrystals was performed by grafting poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) chains onto their surface. The matrix has a block copolymer structure of two biodegradable and biocompatible polymers, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and PLLA. This research is focused on the effects of cellulose nanofillers on the thermally-activated shape memory response of the neat matrix confirming that the bionanocomposites are able to show shape memory effects at 35 °C, close to the human body temperature, making these materials good candidates for biomedical applications. Three thermo-mechanical cycles at 50 % of deformation were performed in order to check the thermally-activated shape memory ability of the bionanocomposites and to determine the shape memory parameters, namely the strain fixity (R_f), and the strain recovery (R_r) ratio. Both bionanocomposites, with neat and functionalized cellulose nanocrystals, present excellent shape memory behaviour maintaining the recovery behaviour at values of about 90 % as measured previously for the pure matrix, indicating that the addition of the nanofiller maintains the good ability to recover the initial shape of the matrix. The cellulose nanofillers clearly improve the ability of the polymer to fix the temporary shape. In fact, the bionanocomposites show R_f at about 90 %. Moreover, bionanocomposites reinforced with the functionalized cellulose nanocrystals maintain constant their performance during all the thermo-mechanical cycles thus confirming that the improvement in the shape memory behaviour can be mainly attributed to the increase of the interactions between the functionalized cellulose nanocrystals with the polymeric matrix.     

Influence of silica on shape memory effect and mechanical properties of polyurethane-silica hybrids

Polyurethane block copolymer (PU) was synthesized and was followed by a sol-gel reaction with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) to prepare high performance polyurethane-silica hybrids with shape memory function. Their tensile and shape memory properties were compared as a function of TEOS content and PU hard segment content. A tensile test showed that the mechanical properties were largely influenced by TEOS content, and the maximum elongation-at-break as well as maximum breaking stress and modulus were obtained when TEOS at 10 wt% was used. Shape memory of hybrids was also obtained from a thermomechanical test, and showed good shape retention and shape recovery of more than 80% for all samples. Consequently, by silica hybridization, an improvement in the mechanical properties and shape recovery force of PU could be achieved without any decrease in their shape recovery effect.     

Mechanical,thermal and morphological properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/zein blends

Blends of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) with zein (PCL/zein) in different proportions (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 and 0/100 wt% containing 5 wt% glycerol) were compared based on their mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus), and on their thermal properties, the latter determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The morphology of the materials was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Blends of PCL/zein showed reduced tensile strength and elongation at break, but increased Young's modulus compared to the pure polymers, in agreement with the DMTA and SEM results. These findings indicated that PCL and zein were incompatible. TGA showed that the thermal stability was enhanced by the addition of zein to PCL, whereas SEM showed a poor interfacial interaction between the polymers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Electroactive shape memory cyanate/polybutadiene epoxy composites filled with carbon black

Electroactive shape memory composites were synthesized using polybutadiene epoxy(PBEP) and bisphenol A type cyanate ester(BACE) filled with different contents of carbon black(CB). Dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), electrical performance and electroactive shape memory behavior were systematically investigated. It is found that the volume resistivity decreased due to excellent electrical conductivity of CB, in turn resulting in good electroactive shape memory properties. The content of CB and applied voltage had significant influence on electroactive shape memory effect of developed BACE/PBEP/CB composites. Shape recovery can be observed within a few seconds with the CB content of 5 wt% and voltage of 60 V. Shape recovery time decreased with increasing content of CB and voltage. The infrared thermometer revealed that the temperature rises above the glass transition temperature faster with the increase of voltage and the decrease of resistance.     

Synthesis and characterization of photocrosslinked poly(ε‐caprolactone)s showing shape‐memory properties

Poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) with a pendent coumarin group was prepared by solution polycondensation from 7‐(3,5‐dicarboxyphenyl) carbonylmethoxycoumarin dichloride and α, ω‐dihydroxy terminated poly(ε‐caprolactone) with molecular weights of 1250, 3000, and 10,000 g/mol. These photosensitive polymers underwent a rapid reversible photocrosslinking upon exposure to irradiation with alternating wavelengths (>280/254 nm) without a photoinitiator. The thermal and mechanical properties of the photocrosslinked films were examined by means of differential scanning calorimetry and stress–strain measurements. The crosslinked films exhibited elastic properties above the melting temperature of the PCL segment along with significant decrease in the ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus. Shape‐memory properties such as strain fixity ratio (R_f) and strain recovery ratio (R_r) were determined by means of a cyclic thermomechanical tensile experiments under varying maximum strains (ε_m = 100, 300, and 500%). The crosslinked ICM/PCL‐3000 and ‐10,000 films exhibited the excellent shape‐memory properties in which both R_f and R_r values were 88–100% for tensile strain of 100–500%; after the deformation, the films recovered their permanent shapes instantaneously. In vitro degradation was performed in a phosphate buffer saline (pH 7.2) at 37 °C with or without the presence of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase. The presence of the pendent coumarin group and the crosslinking of the polymers pronouncedly decreased the degradation rate. The crosslinked biodegradable PCL showing a good shape‐memory property is promising as a new material for biomedical applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2422–2433, 2009     

Preparation and physicochemical properties of hydroxyapatite/polyurethane nanocomposites

In this study, nanohydroxyapatite/polyurethane （nHA/PU） composites with various contents of methoxy- poly（ethylene glycol） modified nHA （0 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt% and 30 wt%） were prepared by solution blending process. The physicochemical properties of the composite membranes were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Transmission electronic microscopy （TEM）, Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）, Thermo gravimetric analysis （TGA） and tensile tests. TEM photos of the nanocomposites showed that the nHA was uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix. The membrane with 10 wt% nHA showed the highest tensile strength which was about 75% higher than that of the pure PU membrane. However, the tensile strength decreased when high content （above 20 wt%） fillers were added, which was still higher than that of pure PU. TGA measurements suggested that the thermal stability of the membranes was improved owing to nHA fillers. XRD and DSC results illustrated that the crystallinity of PU soft segments decreased with the increasing content of nanoparticles in the composites.     

SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT OF PU IONOMERS WITH IONIC GROUPS ON HARD-SEGMENTS

SMPU （shape memory polyurethane） non-ionomers and ionomers, synthesized with poly（c-caprolactone） （PCL）, 4, 4＇-diphenylmethane diisocyanate （MDI）, 1,4-butanediol （BDO）, dimethylolpropionic acid （DMPA） were measured with cyclic tensile test and strain recovery test. The relations between the structure and shape memory effect of these two series were studied with respect to the ionic group content and the effect of neutralization. The resulting data indicate that, with the introduction of asymmetrical extender, the stress at 100% elongation is decreased for PU non-ionomer and ionomer series, especially lowered sharply for non-ionomer series; the fixation ratio of ionomer series is not affected obviously by the ionic group content; the total recovery ratio of ionomer series is decreased greatly. After sufficient relaxation time for samples stretched beforehand, the switching temperature is raised slightly, whereas the recovery ratio measured with strain recovery test method is lowered with increased DMPA content. The characterization with FT-IR, DSC, DMA elucidated that, the ordered hard domain of the two series is disrupted with the introduction of DMPA which causes more hard segments to dissolve in soft phase; ionic groups on hard segment enhance the cohesion between hard segments especially at high ionic group content and significantly facilitate the phase separation compared with the corresponding non-ionomer at moderate ionic group content.     

Shape memory polymers based on cyanate ester-epoxy-poly (tetramethyleneoxide) co-reacted system

Thermoset polymers showing shape memory properties were synthesized by reacting bisphenol A dicyanate (BADC) with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and phenol telechelic poly(tetramethyleneoxide) (PTOH). The cure characteristics of the blend were evaluated by DSC, FTIR and rheometry. Blends with varying proportion of DGEBA/PTOH/BADC were studied for their flexural, dynamic mechanical and thermal properties. The flexural strength and thermal stability increased with increase in cyanate ester concentration, while these properties decreased with increase of PTOH concentration for a given composition. The storage modulus showed a similar trend. The transition temperature (T_trans) of the system increased with increase in cyanate ester content. The polymers showed good shape memory properties wherein the shape recovery increased with increase in PTOH content with a concomitant decrease in the shape recovery time. While the shape recovery increased proportional to the modulus ratio (E_g/E_r), the recovery time showed an inverse relationship with it. The transition temperature could be tuned by the reactant composition and the speed of shape recovery increased with increase in actuation temperature. These epoxy-cyanate ester systems possesses good thermal, mechanical and shape memory characteristics for potential use in smart actuator development.     

Conductive stretchable shape memory elastomers combining with electrical stimulation for synergistic osteogenic differentiation

The natural extracellular matrix (ECM) possessed varying biomechanical properties which played important roles in the dynamic cellular microenvironment. However, for the conventional bone tissue engineering scaffolds, stretchability and shape memory property were normally absent. Thus, the behaviors of responsive changes required in dynamic physiological settings were unsatisfactory. Herein, a series of conductive polyurethane shape memory elastomers (PCL-IPDI-AT) were synthesized, which based on conductive amino capped aniline trimer (AT), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and poly(ԑ-caprolactone) (PCL). The conductive elastomers possessed high elasticity and flexibility, especially, the breaking elongation of copolymer with 15% AT content was up to 570 ± 56%. The mechanical properties of elastomers could be adjusted by regulating the content of AT in copolymers. The conductive elastomers exhibited excellent shape fixity ratio and good shape recovery ability at 37 °C. The electrical conductivity of elastomers was measured via the standard van der Pauw four-probe method. They were all around 10⁻⁷ S/cm and similar to that in human physiological environments. On the one hand, excellent cytocompatibility was demonstrated by the viability and proliferation results of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts seeded on the elastomer. On the other hand, the elastomer could synergistically promote the osteogenic differentiation compared to PCL in terms of ALP activity, calcium deposition, and bone-related protein and gene expression levels as combined with electrical stimulation (ES). Specifically, the ALP activity for conductive elastomer under ES was notably improved by 1.4-fold compared to PCL at 7 days. Overall, the conductive elastomers displayed excellent stretchability, shape memory property, fatigue resistance and osteogenic bioactivity. They may be applied as bone substitutes for electrical-signal-sensitive bone tissue engineering.     

辐照对聚己内酯结构和性能的影响

研究了γ 辐照对不同分子量的聚己内酯 (PCL)的力学性能、热性能、结晶行为的影响 ,在此基础上 ,研究了辐射交联后的PCL的形状记忆行为 .研究结果表明 ,PCL的分子量越大 ,辐射交联所需的凝胶化剂量越低 .溶胶分数S +S1 2 与 1 D的关系很好地符合Charlesby Pinner关系式 ,说明PCL的辐射交联属于无规交联 .剂量对PCL的力学性能影响显著 ,剂量越大 ,抗张强度和断裂伸长率下降越多 ,但分子量较高的PCL的抗张强度受剂量的影响较小 .DMA分析表明 ,聚己内酯辐照交联后的弹性模量和耐热性能显著提高 .交联度较高的PCL表现出高弹态 ,可以拉伸 ,并具有较好的形状记忆行为 .DSC分析表明 ,辐射交联使PCL的结晶度有所增加 ,但也使结晶熔点有所降低     

兼具导热和自修复功能的聚合物复合材料

针对聚合物复合材料存在的结构受损导致导热和力学强度降低的问题,提出利用导热填料增强自修复聚合物,实现导热性能和力学强度的快速修复.通过对双(3-氨丙基)封端的聚二甲基硅氧烷(H2N-PDMS-NH2)进行端基改性,得到脲基嘧啶酮(UPy)双封端的聚二甲基硅氧烷(UPy-PDMS-UPy),于60°C下20 h后拉伸强度修复效率可达86.6%.进一步填充羟基化氮化硼(mBN)制备兼具自修复功能的导热复合材料,研究发现mBN的填充导致复合材料强度提高但韧性降低,对导热性能和自修复功能分别起积极和不利影响.当mBN含量为30 wt%时,热导率高达2.579 W·m-1·K-1,于60°C下40 h后拉伸强度修复效率达82.0%.红外热像仪显示,损伤处接触10 h后,m BN-30/UPy-PDMS-UPy上表面温度接近初始温度,展现出导热通路的修复特征,实现导热与自修复功能的兼备.