Development of photo- or thermo-reversible cross-linked recyclable shape-memory materials

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are remarkable materials able to switch from a stressed deformed state (temporary shape) to their initial relaxed state (permanent shape) by the application of a stimulus, such as heat or light. Typically, the shape-memory property is generally observed for chemically or physically cross-linked polymers that exhibit an elastomeric behavior above a phase transition, e.g. glass or melting transition. As an example, cross-linked semi-crystalline poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is widely studied for the development of SMPs. As most of SMPs are irreversibly cross-linked material, their reprocessing is impossible preventing any recycling. Thereby, reversible reactions, allowing the formation/cleavage of the network, raise tremendous interest for the development of new SMPs.

Recently, we reported the preparation reversibly cross-linked PCL-based SMP using the Diels-Alder (DA) reaction between furan and maleimide end-groups of 4-arm star-shaped PCL, well-known to create reversible bonds. After implementation, this shape-memory material was demonstrated to be recyclable, and was characterized by excellent fixity and recovery before and after recycling experiments. However, the relatively low retro DA temperature of the furan-maleimide adducts led to an inelastic deformation during shape-memory tensile cycles.

In order to get rid of this drawback, an alternative approach was investigated. The substitution of the DA reaction by a photo-reversible reaction, typically the photo-induced (2+2) cycloaddition of coumarins, was proposed to prepare cross-linked PCL matrix presenting one-way and two-way memory properties, since photolabile adducts are supposed to be stable during shape-memory tensile cycles.