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Self‐Healable and Tough Thermoplastic Materials from Metal–Thioether Block Polymers
Author(s) -
Zhang Jiuyang,
Li Min,
Cheng Lin,
Li Tuoqi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.201700430
Subject(s) - thioether , materials science , thermoplastic , polymer , acrylate , ductility (earth science) , polymerization , polysulfone , composite material , copolymer , polymer science , polymer chemistry , creep
Abstract Thioether‐based acrylate block polymers are conveniently prepared via reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer polymerization, and further combined with the merit of reversible metal–thioether coordination to fabricate a new type of “smart” thermoplastic materials. This metal/polymer hybrid architecture imparts extraordinary mechanical performance to the product materials, exhibiting an excellent ductility (breaking strain ≈ 1000%) as well as a relatively high breaking stress (1–5 MPa). Notably, it is facile to thermally process these materials into desired shapes (e.g., dog‐bone specimens, films, disks, etc.). Most importantly, these thermoplastic materials are endowed with the smart characteristic of being self‐healable under ambient conditions. To the authors' knowledge, it is the first report on thermally processable, self‐healing, and mechanically tough thermoplastic materials based on thioether polymers. These discoveries not only provide a pioneering route to design and construct self‐healing thermoplastics, but also elucidate the pathway toward a large portfolio of new hybrid materials built on the platform of organosulfur chemistry.