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Bio-Based Vitrimeric Silicone Materials with High-Strength, Reprocessable, Healing, and Transparent Properties
Xuexuan Fan1,2, Linlin Wang1,2, Shengyu Feng1,2
1Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China.
Macromolecular Rapid Communications
|September 14, 2023
Summary
This study introduces sustainable silicone vitrimers derived from biomass. These reprocessable and self-healing materials offer tunable mechanical properties and potential for advanced optical devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Sustainable Chemistry
Background:
- Addressing the fossil resource crisis necessitates developing sustainable polymeric materials.
- Renewable biomass offers a promising alternative feedstock for advanced material synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize novel silicone boronic ester vitrimers using biomass-derived gluconolactone.
- To investigate the tunable mechanical properties and reprocessability of these novel vitrimers.
- To explore their application in functional coatings for optical devices.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) terminated with glucosamide groups.
- Preparation of silicone boronic ester vitrimers by reacting PDMS with 1,4-benzenediboronic acid.
- Characterization of mechanical properties by varying component ratios and PDMS molecular weights.
- Encapsulation of CsPbBr3 nanocrystals for luminescent coating fabrication.
Main Results:
- A straightforward, efficient synthesis yielding vitrimers with water as the sole byproduct.
- Tunable mechanical properties achieved, ranging from elastomers to plastics.
- Demonstrated excellent thermal stability, reprocessability, and self-healing capabilities.
- Fabrication of hydrophobic, transparent, and luminescent coatings with CsPbBr3 nanocrystals.
Conclusions:
- Biomass-derived gluconolactone is a viable precursor for sustainable silicone vitrimers.
- These vitrimers exhibit versatile properties suitable for advanced applications.
- The developed materials show significant promise for flexible optical devices and sustainable material solutions.
