Super-Durable, Tough Shape-Memory Polymeric Materials Woven from Interlocking Rigid-Flexible Chains.

ABSTRACT: Developing advanced engineering polymers that combine high strength and toughness represents not only a necessary path to excellence but also a major technical challenge. Here for the first time a rigid-flexible interlocking polymer (RFIP) is reported featuring remarkable mechanical properties, consisting of flexible polyurethane (PU) and rigid polyimide (PI) chains cleverly woven together around the copper(I) ions center. By rationally weaving PI, PU chains, and copper(I) ions, RFIP exhibits ultra-high strength (twice that of unwoven polymers, 91.4 ± 3.3 MPa), toughness (448.0 ± 14.2 MJ m^-3), fatigue resistance (recoverable after 10 000 cyclic stretches), and shape memory properties. Simulation results and characterization analysis together support the correlation between micro

SUBMITTER: Xu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11481217 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature