Effects of Binding Energy of Bioinspired Sacrificial Bond on Mechanical Performance of cis-1,4-Polyisoprene with Dual-crosslink

Although bioinspired sacrificial bonds have been demonstrated to be efficient in improving the mechanical properties of polymer materials, the effect of binding energy of a specific dynamic bond on the ultimate mechanical performance of a polymer network with dual-crosslink remains unclear. In this contribution, diamine and sulfur curing package are introduced simultaneously into a sulfonated cis-1,4-polyisoprene to create dually-crosslinked cis-1,4-polyisoprene network with sulfonate-aminium ionic bonds as the sacrificial bonds. Three diamines （primary, secondary and tertiary） with the same spacer between the two nitrogen atoms are used to create the ionic bonds with different binding energies. Although the binding energy of ionic bond does not affect the glass transition temperature of cis-1,4-polyisoprene （IR）, it exerts definite influences on strain-induced crystallization and mechanical performance. The capabilities of diamine in dissipating energy, promoting strain-induced crystallization and enhancing the mechanical performance are in the same order of secondary diamine 〉 primary diamine 〉 tertiary diamine. The variations in mechanical performances are correlated to the binding energy of the ionic bond, which is determined by pKa values.

Super Strong and Tough Elastomers Enabled by Sacrificial Segregated Network

The integration of high strength and toughness concurrently is a vital requirement for elastomers from the perspective of long-term durability and reliability. Unfortunately, these properties are generally conflicting in artificial materials. In the present work, we propose a facile strategy to simultaneously toughen and strengthen elastomers by constructing 3 D segregated filler network via a simple latex mixing method.The as-fabricated elastomers are featured by a microscopic 3 D interconnected segregated network of rigid graphene oxide(GO) nanosheets and a continuous soft matrix of sulfur vulcanized natural rubber(NR). We demonstrate that the interconnected segregated filler network ruptures preferentially upon deformation, and thus is more efficient in energy dissipation than the dispersed filler network. Therefore, the segregated filler network exhibits better reinforcing effects for the rubber matrix. Moreover, the excellent energy dissipating ability also contributes to the outstanding crack growth resistance through the release of concentrated stress at the crack tip. As a result, the strength, toughness and fatigue resistance of the nanocomposites are concurrently enhanced. The methodology in this work is facile and universally applicable, which may provide new insights into the design of elastomers with both extraordinary static and dynamic mechanical performance for practical applications.