Extractable Free Polymer Chains Enhance Actuation Performance of Crystallizable Poly(ε-caprolactone) Networks and Enable Self-Healing.

ABSTRACT: Crosslinking of thermoplastics is a versatile method to create crystallizable polymer networks, which are of high interest for shape-memory actuators. Here, crosslinked poly(ε-caprolactone) thermosets (cPCLs) were prepared from linear starting material, whereby the amount of extractable polymer was varied. Fractions of 5⁻60 wt % of non-crosslinked polymer chains, which freely interpenetrate the crosslinked network, were achieved leading to differences in the resulting phase of the bulk material. This can be described as "sponge-like" with open or closed compartments depending on the amount of interpenetrating polymer. The crosslinking density and the average network chain length remained in a similar range for all network structures, while the theoretical accessible volume for reptation of

SUBMITTER: Farhan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6415158 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature