We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this site you agree to our use of cookies. More info.

At the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, scientists have suggested a neuron-inspired all-around telechelic polymer exhibiting unusual physical and mechanical properties, triboelectricity, quick self-healing ability, adhesion, as well as aggregate-induced emission (AIE) fluorescence.

Chain architecture and applications of the telechelic polymer. Image Credit: Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering.

The study outcomes were reported in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

High-performance polymers tend to display enormous application outlooks in the high-tech fields of energy storage, marine anti-corrosive coating, intelligent displays, and flexible sensors.

So far, however, it has always been hard to come up with polymers combined with excellent mechanical properties (like toughness, stiffness, and crack tolerance), triboelectricity, quick self-healing ability, and also optical or electrical properties.

Having gained inspiration from the neuron’s axon structure, scientists at NIMTE have synthesized a telechelic polymer along with a three-arm structure. The 2-ureido-4 pyrimidinone (UPy) ends every arm, and its length is well-regulated inside a small range to decrease the entanglement density.

This helps enhance the self-healing efficiency of the telechelic polymer. At the same time, broad urea groups are fixed into each arm to build a hierarchical hydrogen bond (H-bonds) network.

By virtue of fixing the arm’s length, it is possible to tune the mechanical performance of the synthesized polymer in a simple way. The polymer displayed outstanding mechanical performance with a strength of 22.5 MPa, a stiffness of 97.9 MPa, an elongation at break of 1,470%, notch resistance of 187 kJ m-2, and toughness of 159.3 MJ m-3.

Following 30 minutes of self-healing, the toughness of the synthesized polymer could recover to 92%. This denotes excellent rapid self-healing ability.

The broad H-bonds provide the polymer with outstanding adhesion as the lap-shear strength can go up to 20.7 MPa. On being joined with iron plates, this was the highest value that has been reported for hot-melt adhesives.

Furthermore, the telechelic polymer could be charged positively, having a high open circuit voltage following friction with copper.

On being subjected to 365 nm ultraviolet light, the telechelic polymer has the potential to emit intrinsic blue fluorescence as a result of the AIE of tertiary amine groups.

The study performed on the neuron-inspired all-around telechelic polymer has enhanced the design notion of high-performance versatile nano-materials. It also displays great application potential, particularly in the marine fields of underwater adhesion, underwater encapsulation, and underwater anti-counterfeiting.

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Leading Innovative and Entrepreneur Team Introduction Program of Zhejiang, and Ningbo Yongjiang Talent Introduction Program.

Chen, H et al. (2022) Neuron Inspired All-Around Universal Telechelic Polyurea with High Stiffness, Excellent Crack Tolerance, Record-High Adhesion, Outstanding Triboelectricity, and AIE Fluorescence. Advanced Functional Materials. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202204263

Source: https://english.cas.cn/

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

AZoM speaks with Seokheun “Sean” Choi, a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the State University of New York. His new research details the production of a prototype circuit board printed on a sheet of paper.

Dr. Anne Meyer / Dr. Alyson Santoro

In our latest interview, AZoM spoke with Dr. Anne Meyer and Dr. Alyson Santoro who are currently collaborating as part of Nereid Biomaterials. This group is creating a new biopolymer that can be broken down by bioplastic-degrading microbes in marine environments, bringing us closer to reducing the i

This interview discusses how ELTRA, as part of Verder Scientific, produces elemental analyzers for the battery component space.

Spectrum Match is a powerful software program that allows the user to search through a custom-built spectrum library to find similar spectra.

The BitUVisc is a unique model of viscometer, that can manage highly viscous samples. It is designed to keep the samples warm throughout the entire process.

Discover the FieldLab analyzer, a new, battery-powered, portable oil lab by Spectro Scientific that allows for rapid oil testing in the field.

This article provides an end-of-life assessment of lithium-ion batteries, focusing on the recycling of an ever-growing amount of spent Li-Ion batteries in order to work toward a sustainable and circular approach to battery use and reuse.

Corrosion is the degradation of an alloy caused by its exposure to the environment. Corrosion deterioration of metallic alloys exposed to the atmosphere or other adverse conditions is prevented using a variety of techniques.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for energy, the demand for nuclear fuel has also increased, which has further created a significant increase in the requirement for post-irradiation examination (PIE) techniques.

AZoM.com - An AZoNetwork Site

Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2022