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Reconfigurable and NIR-responsive shape memory polymer containing bipheunit units and graphene

Polymer Journal volume 54, pages 697–705 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

A series of near-infrared (NIR)-responsive shape memory polymers based on biphenyl epoxy (BPEP/GR) were prepared by mixed amine thermal curing and photocuring with an iodized salt photoinitiator and aromatic ferrocene photosensitizer (IOD/FC) initiator. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and tensile test results indicated that the addition of graphene to a biphenyl-containing epoxy resin matrix led to improvements in the transition temperature, strength, and shape memory properties. Shape recovery could be completed within a few seconds by NIR irradiation due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of graphene. NIR laser irradiation promoted the activation and recombination of biphenyl units due to local heating. Thus, a reconfigured shape was obtained. This new reconfiguration method is expected to help realize the important application of BPEP/GR composites in the field of intelligent soft robots.

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Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51935012, 52005481), Key Research Program of Frontier Science, Chinese Academy of Science (QYZDJ-SSW-SLH056), One-Three-Five Strategic Planning of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDPB24).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Wear and Protection of Materials, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Jing Yang, Junhui Gong, Liming Tao, Zhangzhang Tang, Zenghui Yang, Pengrui Cao, Qihua Wang, Tingmei Wang & Yaoming Zhang

  2. College of Petrochemical Technology, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, China

    Jing Yang, Zhangzhang Tang & Heming Luo

  3. Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Junhui Gong, Liming Tao, Pengrui Cao, Qihua Wang, Tingmei Wang & Yaoming Zhang

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  1. Jing Yang
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The manuscript was written with contributions from all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Heming Luo or Yaoming Zhang.

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Yang, J., Gong, J., Tao, L. et al. Reconfigurable and NIR-responsive shape memory polymer containing bipheunit units and graphene. Polym J 54, 697–705 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00609-5

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