Design of Poly(L-lactide)-Poly(ethylene glycol) Copolymer with Light-Induced Shape-Memory Effect Triggered by Pendant Anthracene Groups

A novel light-induced shape-memory material based on poly(L-lactide) poly(ethylene glycol) copolymer is developed successfully by dangling the photoresponsive anthracene group on the PEG soft segment selectively. For synthesis strategy, the preprepared photoresponsive monomer N,N-bis (2-hydroxyethyl)-9-anthracene-methanamine (BHEAA) is first embedded into PEG chains; then, we couple this anthracene-functionalized PEG precursor with PLA precursor to result in PLA-PEG-A copolymer. The composition of target product can be well-defined by simply adjusting the feed ratio. The chemical structures of intermediate and final products are confirmed by H-1 NMR Differential scanning calorimetry analysis of material reveals that the PEG soft segment became noncrystallizable when 4% or more BHEAA is introduced, and this feature is beneficial to the mobility of anthracene groups in polymer matrix. The static tensile tests show that the samples exhibit rubberlike mechanical properties except for the PLA-dominant one. The reversibility of [4 + 4] cycloaddition reaction between pendant anthracene groups in PLA-PEG-A film is demonstrated by UV-vis. Eventually, the light-induced shape-memory effect (LSME) is successfully realized in PLA-PEG-A. The results of cyclic photomechanical tests also reveal that the content of PLA hard segment as well as photosensitive anthracene moieties plays a crucial role in LSME.