Constructing stretchable, tough, and stiff fluoroelastomer via tannic acid self-assembly

Abstract

Fluoroelastomer possesses substantial usages in energetic polymer composites owing to its numerous merits. However, fluoroelastomer suffers from inadequate mechanical properties without ability to satisfy practical application requirements. In this study, stretchable, tough, and stiff fluoroelastomer was successfully fabricated by introducing hydrogen bonds with the assistance of tannic acid (TA) self-assembly. The resultant fluoroelastomer/TA composites exhibited evenly distributed TA particles derived from the self-assembly of TA molecules. By adjusting TA contents, diverse morphologies of TA particles were acquired from spherical shape to flake-like shape. Moreover, interfacial hydrogen bonds were found to appear between fluoroelastomer and TA particles. Such interfacial hydrogen bonds acting as sacrificial bonds allowed preferential rupture to dissipate energy. As a consequence, the optimal elongation at break, toughness, and Young’s modulus of composites in comparison to pristine fluoroelastomer increased by 171%, 195%, and 114%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the proposed approach offers a feasible tactic to construct high-performance fluoroelastomer for energetic polymer composites.