Volume 137, Issue 11 e202421557
Forschungsartikel

Polyurethane Elastomers Strengthened by Pseudo[1]rotaxanes Based on Pillararenes

Lang He

Lang He

College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Jialin Wei

Jialin Wei

College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Zhiqiang Ren

Zhiqiang Ren

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Dr. Yunxia Li

Dr. Yunxia Li

College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Dr. Zibin Zhang

Corresponding Author

Dr. Zibin Zhang

College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Dr. Guangfeng Li

Dr. Guangfeng Li

Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 P. R. China

Zhejiang-Israel Joint Laboratory of Self-Assembling Functional Materials, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 311215 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Dr. Feihe Huang

Prof. Dr. Feihe Huang

Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 P. R. China

Zhejiang-Israel Joint Laboratory of Self-Assembling Functional Materials, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 311215 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
Prof. Dr. Shijun Li

Corresponding Author

Prof. Dr. Shijun Li

College of Material, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121 P. R. China

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 23 December 2024

Abstract

As a unique property of the interlocked structures, rotaxane allows for intramolecular motions between its wheel and axle components. Introduction of rotaxanes into polymers can endow them with distinctive macroscopic features and outstanding mechanical properties. Here, we prepare a copillar[5]arene with a hydroxyl and an amino-group on each end, which can spontaneously form a pseudo[1]rotaxane through intramolecular hydrogen bonds. This pseudo[1]rotaxane possesses a releasable extra alkyl chain, which is then incorporated into a linear polyurethane by reacting with a diisocyanate to prepare polyurethane elastomers with spring-like structures. The results of stress-strain test and dynamic mechanical analysis all indicate that sliding motions of the axle part on the pseudo[1]rotaxane in the polymer skeleton can greatly dissipate energy, which endows the elastomers with higher toughness and better fatigue resistance. Moreover, the addition of moderate amount of cuprous bromide to form cuprous-thioether coordination in the polymers can further improve the mechanical properties.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available in the supplementary material of this article.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.