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Title: Stearic Acid-Infused PDMS PolyMIPEs Exhibiting Shape Memory Behavior
Emulsion-templated polymerizations are an attractive route to prepare porous materials that possess broad tunability by controlling the features of the emulsion template. Emulsion templated polymer materials possessing shape memory behavior have also been reported, usually using (meth)acrylate monomers. However, achieving shape memory properties in emulsion templated materials with polymers that do not possess accessible thermal transitions, including polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), remains challenging. Here, porous PDMS materials have been prepared with stearic acid within the continuous phase of the emulsion template. The inclusion of stearic acid imparts the material with a transition temperature of ∼70 °C, and the porous materials in this work obtained fixity >90% and recovery >95% over multiple shape memory cycles. These results demonstrate how low glass-transition temperature emulsion-templated polymer materials can easily be given shape memory properties. This work should be a starting point for studies of elastomeric emulsion-templated polymer materials in applications, including in soft robotics.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1904518
PAR ID:
10540712
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
ACS
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Macromolecules
Volume:
57
Issue:
14
ISSN:
0024-9297
Page Range / eLocation ID:
6796 to 6804
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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