The synthesis of polyurethane with mechanical properties that are responsive to water retention states

Xuemin Li; Feng Ye; Jie Wang; Zhaobin Chen; Xiaoniu Yang

doi:10.1039/D0PY01559H

The synthesis of polyurethane with mechanical properties that are responsive to water retention states†

Xuemin Li,^abc Feng Ye,*^ac Jie Wang,*^cd Zhaobin Chen^ac and Xiaoniu Yang

^ac

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* Corresponding authors

^a State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
E-mail: yefeng@ciac.ac.cn

^b School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

^c Polymer Composites Engineering Laboratory, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
E-mail: jiewang@ciac.ac.cn

^d Huangpu Institute of Advanced Materials, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou 510700, China

Abstract

Whether running or driving, slippery surfaces have always been the enemy of speed and safety. In this work, water-retention-state-responsive polyurethane (WRSRPU) was synthesized via introducing zwitterionic sulfobetaine (SB) onto its polymer chains. With strongly hydrophilic properties, the SB segment, when its content is increased to a certain level, is able to significantly change the mechanical properties, e.g., the modulus and tribological behavior, of thus-obtained polyurethane upon exposure to wet conditions, and these properties are reversible via switching the water absorption and release behavior. Even at different humidity levels, the mechanical properties of polyurethane can change significantly with an increase in water absorption. This unique water-responsive behavior of thus-obtained polyurethane opens up a stable and proactive approach for solving the problem of skidding under wet conditions, which is a long-established troublesome issue in daily life, sports, and transportation.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0PY01559H
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 11 Nov 2020
Accepted: 09 Jan 2021
First published: 11 Jan 2021

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Polym. Chem., 2021,12, 1014-1022

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The synthesis of polyurethane with mechanical properties that are responsive to water retention states

X. Li, F. Ye, J. Wang, Z. Chen and X. Yang, Polym. Chem., 2021, 12, 1014 DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01559H

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Polymer Chemistry

The synthesis of polyurethane with mechanical properties that are responsive to water retention states†

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The synthesis of polyurethane with mechanical properties that are responsive to water retention states

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