Spin crossover particles shielding upon grinding in thermoplastic polyurethane composites

Abstract

Ball milling experiments were conducted on spin crossover (SCO) particle-based powder and SCO@themoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite samples with increasing grinding time. Differential scanning calorimetry and magnetic measurement supported by powder X-ray diffraction measurements and electronic microscopies reveals that the presence of the TPU matrix act as a shield for the SCO particles during the dynamic crushing precluding their deactivation. Such result is encouraging for the homogeneous integration of SCO materials into devices made of polymeric based composite materials.