Rubber composites make an important contribution to eliminating vibration and noise owing to their unique viscoelasticity. However, it is important to find alternative bio-based products with high damping properties owing to the shortage of petrochemical resources and poor performance. The ability to self-heal is an additional characteristic that is highly desirable because it can further increase the service life and safety of such products. In this study, a bio-based polylactic acid thermoplastic polyurethane (PLA-TPU) and its composites (PLA-TPU/AO-80) are synthesized. The reversible sacrificial hydrogen bonds in the composites increase the peak value of the loss factor (tan δmax ) from 0.87 to 2.12 with a high energy dissipation efficiency of 99% at 50% strain. After being heated for 15 min, the healed sample recovers 81.98% of its comprehensive mechanical properties due to the reorganization of the hydrogen bonds. Its tensile strength remains at 93.4% after recycling five times. Moreover, its shape memory properties show a response temperature close to the human body temperature making it an ideal candidate for medical applications.
Keywords: energy dissipation; polylactic acid; polyurethane; self-healing; shape memory.
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