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Self‐Repairable Polyurethane Networks by Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Water
Author(s) -
Yang Ying,
Urban Marek W.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201407978
Subject(s) - polyurethane , carbon fixation , trimer , polyethylene glycol , carbon dioxide , chemistry , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , chemical engineering , hexamethylene diisocyanate , polymer , molecule , photosynthesis , polymer chemistry , materials science , organic chemistry , biochemistry , dimer , engineering
Sugar moieties were incorporated into cross‐linked polyurethane (PUR) networks in an effort to achieve self‐repairing in the presence of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O). When methyl‐α‐ D ‐glucopyranoside (MGP) molecules are reacted with hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer (HDI) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form cross‐linked MGP‐polyurethane (PUR) networks, these materials are capable of self‐repairing in air. This process requires atmospheric amounts of CO 2 and H 2 O, thus resembling plant behavior of carbon fixation during the photosynthesis cycle. Molecular processes responsible for this unique self‐repair process involve physical diffusion of cleaved network segments as well as the formation of carbonate and urethane linkages. Unlike plants, MGP‐PUR networks require no photo‐initiated reactions, and they are thus capable of repair in darkness under atmospheric conditions.