Programming and Reprogramming the Viscoelasticity and Magnetic Response of Magnetoactive Thermoplastic Elastomers

We present a novel type of magnetorheological material that allows one to restructure the magnetic particles inside the finished composite, tuning in situ the viscoelasticity and magnetic response of the material in a wide range using temperature and an applied magnetic field. The polymer medium is an A-g-B bottlebrush graft copolymer with side chains of two types: polydimethylsiloxane and polystyrene. At room temperature, the brush-like architecture provides the tissue mimetic softness and strain stiffening of the elastomeric matrix, which is formed through the aggregation of polystyrene side chains into aggregates that play the role of physical cross-links. The aggregates partially dissociate and the matrix softens at elevated temperatures, allowing for the effective rearrangement of magnetic particles by applying a magnetic field in the desired direction. Magnetoactive thermoplastic elastomers (MATEs) based on A-g-B bottlebrush graft copolymers with different amounts of aggregating side chains filled with different amounts of carbonyl iron microparticles were prepared. The in situ restructuring of magnetic particles in MATEs was shown to significantly alter their viscoelasticity and magnetic response. In particular, the induced anisotropy led to an order-of-magnitude enhancement of the magnetorheological properties of the composites.