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Application of a Coupling Agent to Improve the Dielectric Properties of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites
Published on: September 19, 2020
Rewriting Polymer Fate via Chemomechanical Coupling
Jiahe Huang1, Haohui Zhang2, Jiehao Chen2
1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Abstract:
How can synthetic polymers be endowed with the continuous, life-like ability to grow, degrow, heal, and alter their chemical and physical properties after fabrication? This study addresses this question by coupling theory and experiment to create an open-system "living" polymer platform that integrates mass transport, reversible polymerization, chain exchange, and evolving elasticity into a fully chemomechanically coupled network. Controlled transport, reaction, and stresses enable continuous growth and degrowth with microscale control enabled by light-activated catalysts. Their chemical composition can be reprogrammed on demand, tuning modulus by up to two orders of magnitude to either stiffen or soften the material. These capabilities enable self-growable electronics, transformative soft robots, and on-site damage-regenerating devices, establishing a foundation for sustainable, endlessly reprogrammable polymers.
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