Abstract
A novel but simple design is presented of a multi-ion network with polyamic acid that combines high extensibility and toughness with spontaneous healing ability. Taking advantage of the carboxylate structure of polyamic acid, the introduction of a sufficient number of metal ions to neutralize the carboxylated groups can form reversible ionic bonds within the polymeric network. Dry-solid zinc(II)-poly(amic acid-PDMS) is transparent and exhibits good mechanical properties, including good ultimate strength (~0.267 MPa) and high stretchability (~360%). In addition, this dynamic network can self-heal at ambient temperature without requiring stimulation from heat, a plasticizer, or a solvent. The very simple method of our proposed polyamic acid polymers opens up the possibility of increasingly utilizing high-performance, low-cost, and environmentally friendly polyamic acids instead of polyimides.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Featured Area Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (110L9006) and the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan (MOST 110-2634-F-002-043, MOST 109-2221-E-011-150, and MOST 110-2221-E-011-009) for financial support.
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Au-Duong, AN., Hsu, YC., Malintoi, M. et al. Highly transparent, stretchable, and self‐healing polymers crosslinked by dynamic zinc(II)-poly(amic acid) bonds. Polym J 54, 305–312 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00579-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-021-00579-8