Nanophase Separation in Immiscible Double Network Elastomers Induces Synergetic Strengthening, Toughening, and Fatigue Resistance

Zheng, Yong; Kiyama, Ryuji; Matsuda, Takahiro; Cui, Kunpeng; Li, Xueyu; Cui, Wei; Guo, Yunzhou; Nakajima, Tasuku; Kurokawa, Takayuki; Gong, Jian Ping

doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c00512

Cited by 56 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The different density of ionic bonds leads to the local aggregation of polymer backbones via hydrophobic association, giving rise to a network structure with soft and hard phases. The phase separation method is also applicable in elastomer systems by using an ionic polymer as the first network and a nonpolar polymer as the second network (Figure 4c) [31]. Firstly, the polyelectrolyte network is polymerized and then soaked into the second monomer solution using a cosolvent of a high dielectric constant.…”

Section: Phase Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phase Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The way of energy dissipation is also close. Polymer dense phases in phase-separated elastomers, i.e., the hard phases, fracture preferentially upon crack growth, serving the role of sacrificial bonds (Figure 8b) [31]. Because the polymer density in the hard phases is considerably high, the energy to propagate the crack growth is greatly increased compared with nonphase-separated homogenous structures.…”

Section: Fracture Toughnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another example is the nanophase-separated elastomer, which shows a similar energy dissipation mechanism to the polyampholyte hydrogel although it does not show a bicontinuous network structure (Figure 12b) [31]. The nanophases form via the dipole-dipole interaction induced collapse of hard phases (gray island).…”

Section: Nanophse Pinningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the molecular level, double network (DN) material is a typical soft composite, which dissipates energy by breaking polymer chains [29,30]. At the nanometer scale, phase-separated material is an example, dissipating energy via the rupture of nanophases [31][32][33]. At the micron scale, common soft composites are micro-fiber-reinforced polymers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales

Cui

Zhu

2021

Textiles

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Soft composites are widely employed in industrial and biomedical fields, which often serve as load-bearing structural materials by virtue of a special combination of high strength, high toughness, and low flexural stiffness. Understanding the toughening mechanism of such composites is crucial for designing the next-generation soft materials. In this review, we give an overview of recent progress in soft composites, focusing on the design strategy, mechanical properties, toughening mechanisms, and relevant applications. Fundamental design strategies for soft composites that dissipate energy at different length scales are firstly described. By subsequently elucidating the synergistic effects of combining soft and hard phases, we show how a resulting composite can achieve unprecedented mechanical performance by optimizing the energy dissipation. Relevant toughening models are discussed to interpret the superior strength and fracture toughness of such soft composites. We also highlight relevant applications of these soft composites by taking advantage of their special mechanical responses.

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Section: Phase Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phase Separationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fracture Toughnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nanophse Pinningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales

Cui

Zhu

2021

Textiles

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Recent Progress in Double Network Elastomers: One Plus One is Greater Than Two

Yang

Tang

et al. 2022

Adv Funct Materials

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Human beings cannot live without elastomers, which exist almost everywhere in human life nowadays. Although elastomers with a variety of features are developed for specific applications, a timeless topic is how to toughen them, because mechanical properties always determine the reliability and lifespan of the utilized elastomers. Toughening of a soft material has a long history and the main idea is widely accepted, i.e., building energy dissipation into the stretchy networks. Double network (DN) method is the most pioneering and representative practice of materials toughening, which is successfully applied to numerous hydrogel systems. Intensive studies on DN hydrogel systems are implemented and relevant reviews are well documented, whereas important reviews about DN elastomers are absent. In this review, recent progress on toughening elastomers using the DN strategy is reviewed. By reviewing the fabrication methods and relevant extensions, toughening mechanisms at different length scales, functionalities, and applications in sequence, it is shown how one polymer network plus another gives rise to a tough elastomer with superior mechanical properties. It is believed that this review can give some insight into existing DN elastomer systems and inspire the development of next‐generation tough soft materials.

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Tough, Recyclable, and Degradable Elastomers for Potential Biomedical Applications

et al. 2023

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used in traditional applications such as tires, seals, and adhesives, as well as in emerging fields such as shape memory, flexible electronics, robotics and artificial intelligence. [2,3] Despite the crucial role of elastomers, their huge demand raises an important question of how to dispose of the out-of-service elastomers. For example, worldwide production of natural rubber reached almost 13 million metric tons in 2020, [4] and approximately three billion natural rubber-based tires were manufactured and purchased. [5] Most of them, however, will end up in incineration, massive landfills or storage facilities, which may ultimately leach pollutants into the ecosystem, posting a significant threat to environment and economy. [5,6] To achieve sustainable development, desirable elastomers should first have long service life, which requires materials with high toughness to resist fracture and high fracture energy to resist crack propagation once fractured. Besides, elastomers should be recyclable, that is they are not permanently crosslinked and can be reprocessed without losing their original properties. [3,7] And finally, elastomers should be degradable, demanding them to be degraded by the enzymatic action of microorganisms and/or destroyed by non-enzymatic processes (e.g., chemical hydrolysis) when needed. It is always easy to achieve one or two of these requirements, but it is challenging to meet all of them. [3,8,9,10] For instance, a biodegradable polyester elastomer was developed from lactones, while the toughness was not high and the covalent crosslinking limited its recyclability. [9] A tough elastomer was designed using mussel-inspired coordination bonds, while it was neither recyclable nor degradable. [10] A recyclable polyurethane elastomer with high toughness and fracture energy was developed by introducing dynamic hierarchical domains into the polymer matrix, while the use of poly(dimethylsiloxane) chain made it non-degradable. [3] Thus, the preparation of novel elastomers that are concurrently tough, recyclable, and degradable remains a rigorous challenge but is highly desirable.In this study, two main factors are considered in order to design elastomers with such properties. First, the polymer backbone: considering the requirements of degradation and toughness, we choose polycaprolactone (PCL). Currently, the preparation of sustainable elastomers mainly focuses on the Elastomers have many industrial, medical and commercial applications, however, their huge demand raises an important question of how to dispose of the out-of-service elastomers. Ideal elastomers that are concurrently tough, recyclable, and degradable are in urgent need, but their preparation remains a rigorous challenge. Herein, a polycaprolactone (PCL) based polyurethane elastomer is designed and prepared to meet this demand. Owing to the presence of dynamic coordination bond and the occurrence of strain-induced crystallization, the obtained elastomer exhibits a high toughness of ≈372 MJ m −3 and an unprecedented fracture energy of ...

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Nanophase Separation in Immiscible Double Network Elastomers Induces Synergetic Strengthening, Toughening, and Fatigue Resistance

Cited by 56 publications

References 41 publications

A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales

A Review on Tough Soft Composites at Different Length Scales

Recent Progress in Double Network Elastomers: One Plus One is Greater Than Two

Tough, Recyclable, and Degradable Elastomers for Potential Biomedical Applications

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