Novel Tough and Transparent Ultra-Extensible Nanocomposite Elastomers Based on Poly(2-methoxyethylacrylate) and Their Switching between Plasto-Elasticity and Viscoelasticity

Polymers

Beata Mossety-Leszczak¹  Weronika Zając²  Adam Strachota³  Miloš Steinhart³  Beata Strachota³  Ewa Pavlova³  Katarzyna Byś³ 

[1] Department of Industrial and Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszow University of Technology, al. Powstancow Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland;Doctoral School of Engineering and Technical Sciences at the Rzeszow University of Technology, al. Powstancow Warszawy 12, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland;Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Heyrovskeho nam. 2, CZ-162 06 Praha, Czech Republic;

关键词: nanocomposites;    transparent;    physical networks;    elastomers;    self-assembly;    poly(methoxyethyl acrylate);   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym13234254

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Novel stiff, tough, highly transparent and ultra-extensible self-assembled nanocomposite elastomers based on poly(2-methoxyethylacrylate) (polyMEA) were synthesized. The materials are physically crosslinked by small in-situ-formed silica nanospheres, sized 3–5 nm, which proved to be a very efficient macro-crosslinker in the self-assembled network architecture. Very high values of yield stress (2.3 MPa), tensile strength (3.0 MPa), and modulus (typically 10 MPa), were achieved in combination with ultra-extensibility: the stiffest sample was breaking at 1610% of elongation. Related nanocomposites doubly filled with nano-silica and clay nano-platelets were also prepared, which displayed interesting synergy effects of the fillers at some compositions. All the nanocomposites exhibit ‘plasto-elastic’ tensile behaviour in the ‘as prepared’ state: they display considerable energy absorption (and also ‘necking’ like plastics), but at the same time a large but not complete (50%) retraction of deformation. However, after the first large tensile deformation, the materials irreversibly switch to ‘real elastomeric’ tensile behaviour (with some creep). The initial ‘plasto-elastic’ stretching thus causes an internal rearrangement. The studied materials, which additionally are valuable due to their high transparency, could be of application interest as advanced structural materials in soft robotics, in implant technology, or in regenerative medicine. The presented study focuses on structure-property relationships, and on their effects on physical properties, especially on the complex tensile, elastic and viscoelastic behaviour of the polyMEA nanocomposites.

【 授权许可】

Unknown