Issue 98, 2014

Two-way shape memory property and its structural origin of cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone)

Abstract

In this work, two-way shape memory (TWSM) properties and the corresponding structural origin of cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone) (cPCL) with different gel contents obtained by adopting different weight percentages of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) were investigated. The effects of gel contents on melting temperatures, crystallization temperatures and crystallinity of the cPCL materials were studied with differential scanning calorimetry. The TWSM properties of the samples were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. It was found that gel content was the key factor determining the TWSM behavior, and higher gel content would result in the so-called robust TWSM effect for cPCL samples (cPCLx, x denoting the weight percentage of BPO). Compared with cPCL10, cPCL5 had larger elongation and lower recovery capabilities due to its lower gel content. However, the sample with much lower gel content (cPCL3) displayed almost no TWSM behavior, implying that an appropriate gel content was responsible for the TWSM characteristic. The crystalline structure of cPCLx subsequently changed when subjected to external stress. As the samples were cooled down under constant stress, higher stress would lead to a more oriented crystalline structure. Furthermore, concurrent wide-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering investigations revealed the structural evolution occurring during the TWSM process, indicating that the crystal orientation along the stretching direction took place simultaneously with the elongation during the cooling process.

Graphical abstract: Two-way shape memory property and its structural origin of cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone)

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Aug 2014
Accepted
13 Oct 2014
First published
13 Oct 2014

RSC Adv., 2014,4, 55483-55494

Two-way shape memory property and its structural origin of cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone)

M. Huang, X. Dong, L. Wang, J. Zhao, G. Liu and D. Wang, RSC Adv., 2014, 4, 55483 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA09385B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements