Polyacrylate Backbone Promotes Photoinduced Reversible Solid-To-Liquid Transitions of Azobenzene-Containing Polymers
- Shuofeng LiangShuofeng LiangCAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Shuofeng Liang
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- Shuxiu LiShuxiu LiCAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Shuxiu Li
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- Chenrui YuanChenrui YuanCAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Chenrui Yuan
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- Dachuan ZhangDachuan ZhangCAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Dachuan Zhang
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- Jiahui ChenJiahui ChenCAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Jiahui Chen
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- Si Wu*Si Wu*Email: [email protected]CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Anhui Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Science and Technology, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei230026, ChinaMore by Si Wu
Abstract
The development of polymers with efficient photoinduced reversible solid-to-liquid transitions is desirable for the design of healable materials, reconfigurable devices, and switchable adhesives. Herein, we demonstrate that an azobenzene-containing polyacrylate P-H exhibits more efficient photoinduced reversible solid-to-liquid transitions than its polymethacrylate analogue P-Me. The side chain of P-H or P-Me contains a hexamethylene spacer, a photoresponsive azobenzene group, and an n-decyl tail. Both P-H and P-Me show reversible cis–trans photoisomerization. Solid transP-H and P-Me change to liquid cis ones via UV-light-induced trans-to-cis isomerization; liquid cisP-H and P-Me revert to solid trans ones via visible-light-induced cis-to-trans back isomerization. Differential scanning calorimetry and rheology measurements revealed that photoinduced reversible solid-to-liquid transitions occur because P-H and P-Me have photoswitchable glass transition temperatures. Although P-Me exhibits a slightly faster rate for trans-to-cis photoisomerization than P-H due to fewer aggregates in solid state, cisP-H flows 20 times faster than cisP-Me because P-H has a more flexible polymer backbone. The low viscosity of cisP-H makes photoinduced solid-to-liquid transition efficient and enables the design of rapidly healable coatings. Our study shows that the design of a flexible backbone is a new strategy to develop rapidly healable polymers with more efficient photoinduced solid-to-liquid transitions.
Cited By
This article is cited by 1 publications.
- David Siniscalco, Laurence Pessoni, Laurent Billon, Anne Boussonnière, Anne-Sophie Castanet, Jean-François Bardeau, Pierre Nickmilder, Philippe Leclère, Nicolas Delorme. Measurement of the Transition Temperature Governing the Photoinduced Reversible Solid-to-Liquid Transition of Azobenzene-Containing Polymers. ACS Applied Polymer Materials 2023, 5
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, 7358-7363. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.3c01256