Thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination bonds lead to strong and tough self-healing polymers

Thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination bonds lead to strong and tough self-healing polymers

There is often a trade-off between mechanical properties (modulus and toughness) and dynamic self-healing. Here we report the design and synthesis of a polymer containing thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination complex to address this conundrum. The Zn-Hbimcp (Hbimcp = 2,6-bi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2019-03, Vol.10 (1), p.1164-1164, Article 1164
Main Authors: Lai, Jian-Cheng, Jia, Xiao-Yong, Wang, Da-Peng, Deng, Yi-Bing, Zheng, Peng, Li, Cheng-Hui, Zuo, Jing-Lin, Bao, Zhenan
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Bond strength
Bonding strength
Chemical synthesis
Chlorophenol
Coordination compounds
Energy absorption
Mechanical properties
Polydimethylsiloxane
Polymers
Self healing materials
Silicone resins
Toughness
Zinc
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Summary:There is often a trade-off between mechanical properties (modulus and toughness) and dynamic self-healing. Here we report the design and synthesis of a polymer containing thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination complex to address this conundrum. The Zn-Hbimcp (Hbimcp = 2,6-bis((imino)methyl)-4-chlorophenol) coordination bond used in this work has a relatively large association constant (2.2 × 10 ) but also undergoes fast and reversible intra- and inter-molecular ligand exchange processes. The as-prepared Zn(Hbimcp) -PDMS polymer is highly stretchable (up to 2400% strain) with a high toughness of 29.3 MJ m , and can autonomously self-heal at room temperature. Control experiments showed that the optimal combination of its bond strength and bond dynamics is responsible for the material's mechanical toughness and self-healing property. This molecular design concept points out a promising direction for the preparation of self-healing polymers with excellent mechanical properties. We further show this type of polymer can be potentially used as energy absorbing material.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723