Abstract
Silicone-containing biobased hyperbranched polyurethane thermoplastic elastomers at different compositions were reported for the first time. The structures of the polymers were evaluated from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses. The synthesized elastomers possess high molecular weight (1.11–1.38 × 105 g·mol–1) and low glass transition temperature (from −40.0 to −27.3 °C). These polymers exhibited multistimuli responsive excellent repeatable intrinsic self-healing (100% efficiency), shape recovery (100%), and efficient self-cleaning (contact angle 102°–107°) abilities along with exceptional elongation at break (2834–3145%), high toughness (123.3–167.8 MJ·m–3), good impact resistance (18.3–20.3 kJ·m–1), and adequate tensile strength (5.9–6.9 MPa). Furthermore, high thermal stability (253–263 °C) as well as excellent UV and chemical resistance was also found for the polymers. Most interestingly, controlled bacterial biodegradation under exposure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strains demonstrated them as sustainable materials. Therefore, such biobased novel thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers with self-healing, self-cleaning, and shape memory effects possess great potential for their advanced multifaceted applications.
Highlights
Smart high-performing polymeric materials with shape memory, self-healing, and self-cleaning effects have attracted researchers because of their widespread applications including coating, packaging, biomedical, automobile, aerospace, printing and so forth
Shape memory polymers (SMP) are considered as stimuli-responsive smart polymers which can recover their primary shape from a temporary deformed shape as required.[1,2]
Sottos et al synthesized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) based self-healing elastomer by incorporating resinous microencapsule with cross-linker in the matrix.[5]. Such elastomers can heal only one time at a particular zone because of the exhaustion of the healing agent from the incorporated microcapsules. To overcome this limitation, designing of intrinsic self-healing polymers (SHP) has been attempted by various approaches such as molecular diffusion, reversible breaking, and reforming of dynamic covalent or noncovalent bonds induced by heat energy, incorporation of nano materials, and so forth.[6,7]
Summary
Smart high-performing polymeric materials with shape memory, self-healing, and self-cleaning effects have attracted researchers because of their widespread applications including coating, packaging, biomedical, automobile, aerospace, printing and so forth. Mechanical properties (displayed in Table 2) of the PU strips were strongly influenced by the molecular weight of PUs and their soft segment, hard to soft segment ratio, crystallinity, physical cross-linking, chain entanglement, orientation of segments, hydrogen bonding, and so forth.
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