Enabling Design of Strong and Tough Poly(Propylene Carbonate) Through In Situ Generated Poly(Propylene Carbonate)-Based Cross-Linked Microdomains
Mingyu Sang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xuhui Zhang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Correspondence:
Xuhui Zhang ([email protected])
Baoliu Qu ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorJing Huang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorTing Li
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorYang Wang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorShibo Wang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Baoliu Qu
School of Textile Science and Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
Correspondence:
Xuhui Zhang ([email protected])
Baoliu Qu ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorWeifu Dong
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorMingyu Sang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xuhui Zhang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Correspondence:
Xuhui Zhang ([email protected])
Baoliu Qu ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorJing Huang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorTing Li
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorYang Wang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorShibo Wang
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Baoliu Qu
School of Textile Science and Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, China
Correspondence:
Xuhui Zhang ([email protected])
Baoliu Qu ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorWeifu Dong
The Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China
Search for more papers by this authorFunding: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, 52103082, 52303127; MOE & SAFEA for the 111 Project, B13025; and Wuxi “Light of Taihu Lake” Science and Technology Research Plan, K20221008.
ABSTRACT
The wide use of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), a biodegradable polymer made from carbon dioxide, will contribute greatly to alleviating environmental issues such as white pollution and greenhouse effect. However, the poor mechanical properties and low glass transition temperature (Tg) seriously limit the practical application of PPC. Traditional reinforcement methods for PPC will reduce the toughness sharply. Herein, we propose a new strategy for preparing strong and tough PPC through in situ generated high-performance PPC-based cross-linked microdomains (PPC-MD). Specifically, based on the aminolysis reaction between carbonate groups in PPC and multiple amine groups in polyethylenimine, PPC-MD and hydroxy-terminated PPC with low molecular weight (l-PPC-OH) are generated during melt blending. Then, hexamethylene diisocyanate is added to link l-PPC-OH for the purpose of eliminating the plasticization of l-PPC-OH and the degradation effect of terminal hydroxyl group. The PPC-MD with high Tg can effectively reinforce PPC and improve its toughness. The PPC/PEI/HDI-0.02/0.04 shows a high tensile strength of 29.4 ± 2.5 MPa and a toughness of 86.8 ± 5.2 MJ/m3, which is 2.58- and 1.38-folds of PPC, respectively. Besides, the PPC-MD can greatly improve the Tg of PPC as well. It is worth highlighting that this method can be accomplished by melt blending, which is facile and can be scaled up. We envision that this work will enrich the modification method of PPC and promote the practical application of PPC as the as-fabricated PPC shows integrated high strength, high toughness, and high Tg.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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