Data of thermally active lignin-linkages and shape memory of lignin-rubber composites

This data article presents the utilization of thermally dynamic covalent bonds of lignin linkages such as β-O-4', Cα-O of β-5' phenylcoumaran, and β-β resinol to modify the thermomechanical properties of high loading lignin-nitrile rubber composites. These thermally active lignin linkages can be triggered at 180 °C to generate free-radicals for crosslinking reactions. The evolution of crosslinking density was measured in-situ using dynamic mechanical analysis and rheological characterization. The shape programmability and shape recovery of these composites were determined by both ex-situ and in-situ methods. The thermally modified composites exhibited excellent shape memory properties. The data in this article are related to our recent research article entitled "Responsive lignin for shape memory applications" (Nguyen et al., 2018).