Nanocomposites of polyhydroxyurethane with Fe3O4 nanoparticles: Synthesis, shape memory and reprocessing properties

In this contribution, we reported a novel synthesis of [4,4 '-bi(1,3-dioxolane)]-2,2 '-dione via the reaction of mesoerythritol, a bio-mass tetrahydric alcohol with carbon dioxide. This five-membered bicyclic carbonate was used as the precursor of polyhydroxyurethane (PHU). The PHU thermosets were obtained with a trifunctional polyetheramine (Jeffamine T-403) as the curing agent. The PHU thermoset was further modified with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) to afford the nanocomposites. To achieve the fine dispersion of Fe3O4 NPs, the Fe3O4 NPs were surface-functionalized with poly(2-oxo-1,3-dioxolane-4-yl)methyl methacrylate (PDOMA) via surface-initiated radical polymerization. Compared with plain PHU, the PHU-Fe3O4 nanocomposites displayed the improved mechanical properties. In the meantime, the nanocomposites had excellent shape memory and reprocessing properties. The shape memory properties can be triggered with laser irradiation by taking advantage of the photothermal effect of Fe3O4 NPs.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel synthesis method of [4,4'-bi(1,3-dioxolane)]-2,2'-dione from biomass tetrahydric alcohol and carbon dioxide was reported. The resulting PHU-Fe3O4 nanocomposites showed enhanced mechanical properties and excellent shape memory performance, which could be triggered by laser irradiation utilizing the photothermal effect of Fe3O4 NPs.