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Phenylboronate‐diol crosslinked polymer/SWCNT hybrid gels with reversible sol–gel transition
Author(s) -
Li Wenjun,
Liu Minna,
Chen Hongbiao,
Xu Jiao,
Gao Yong,
Li Huaming
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
polymers for advanced technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.61
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1581
pISSN - 1042-7147
DOI - 10.1002/pat.3228
Subject(s) - materials science , phenylboronic acid , polymer , carbon nanotube , polymerization , diol , chemical engineering , hybrid material , surface modification , polymer chemistry , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , catalysis , composite material , engineering
This work demonstrates the successful incorporation of functionalized single‐walled carbon nanotubes (f‐SWCNTs) into the phenylboronate‐diol crosslinked polymer gel to create a hybrid system with reversible sol–gel transition. The phenylboronic acid‐containing and diol‐containing polymers were first separately prepared by the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Covalent functionalization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with an azide‐derivatized, diol‐containing polymer was then accomplished by a nitrene addition reaction. Subsequently, the hybrid gels were prepared by crosslinking the mixture of f‐SWCNTs and diol‐containing polymer with the phenylboronic acid‐containing polymer. The hybrid gel has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and rheological analysis. The SEM measurement demonstrated a homogeneous dispersion of f‐SWCNTs within the gel matrices. Rheological experiments also demonstrated that the hybrid gel exhibited storage moduli significantly higher than those of the native gel obtained from the phenylboronic acid‐containing and diol‐containing polymers. The hybrid gel can be switched into their starting polymer (f‐SWCNTs) solutions by adjusting the pH of the system. Moreover, the hybrid gel revealed a self‐healing property that occurred autonomously without any outside intervention. By employing this dynamic character, it is possible to regenerate the used gel, and thus, it has the potential to perform in a range of dynamic or bioresponsive applications Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.