Mechanically strong and highly stiff supramolecular polymer composites repairable at ambient conditions
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(Published version)
Date
2020
Authors
Zhu, J.
Chen, G.Y.
Yu, L.
Xu, H.
Liu, X.
Sun, J.
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Journal article
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CCS Chemistry, 2020; 2(4):280-292
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Abstract
It is a formidable challenge to fabricate healable polymeric materials with high mechanical strength and stiffness due to the highly suppressed diffusion of their polymer chains. Herein, a high-strength, highly stiff, and repairable/healable supramolecular polymer composite was fabricated by complexing poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) in aqueous solutions, followed by molding into desired shapes. Exquisitely tuning the electrostatic and H-bonding interactions between PAA and PAH led to associative phase-separation and in situ formation of nanostructures in the resultant PAA–PAH composites. The H-bonded assembly of PAA–PAH complexes existed as nanospheres were dispersed homogeneously in the continuous phase as an electrostatic assembly of PAA–PAH complexes.
Such a structural feature endowed the PAA–PAH copolymer with a double-cross-linked structure, enabling significant reinforcement of the material. The PAA–PAH composites exhibited a tensile strength and an elastic modulus as high as ∼ 67 MPa and ∼ 2.0 GPa, respectively. Due to the benefits from the reconstruction of the complexes, such as reversible electrostatic interactions and H-bonds between PAA and PAH, the PAA–PAH composite could be repaired/healed readily under ambient conditions (25 °C, 40% humidity) by using the liquid-like form of the PAA–PAH complexes (i.e., coacervate). The healing strategy reported here provides a supplementary method for easy repair or healing of high-strength and stiff supramolecular polymer materials.
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Data source: Supporting information, https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.020.201900118
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Copyright 2020 Chinese Chemical Society
Access Condition Notes: CCS Chemistry is a Diamond Open Access journal, meaning that it is fully open access and has no fees for authors whose articles are accepted in the journal