Optically transparent high temperature shape memory polymers

Xinli Xiao; Xueying Qiu; Deyan Kong; Wenbo Zhang; Yanju Liu; Jinsong Leng

doi:10.1039/c5sm02703a

Optically transparent high temperature shape memory polymers

Soft Matter. 2016 Mar 21;12(11):2894-900. doi: 10.1039/c5sm02703a.

Authors

Xinli Xiao¹, Xueying Qiu², Deyan Kong², Wenbo Zhang², Yanju Liu³, Jinsong Leng⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China and Centre for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 2 Yikuang Street, Harbin 150080, People's Republic of China. lengjs@hit.edu.cn.
² Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Astronautical Science and Mechanics, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Centre for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 2 Yikuang Street, Harbin 150080, People's Republic of China. lengjs@hit.edu.cn.

PMID: 26686222
DOI: 10.1039/c5sm02703a

Abstract

Optically transparent shape memory polymers (SMPs) have potential in advanced optoelectronic and other common shape memory applications, and here optically transparent shape memory polyimide is reported for the first time. The polyimide possesses a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 171 °C, higher than the Tg of other transparent SMPs reported, and the influence of molecular structure on Tg is discussed. The 120 μm thick polyimide film exhibits transmittance higher than 81% in 450-800 nm, and the possible mechanism of its high transparency is analyzed, which will benefit further research on other transparent high temperature SMPs. The transparent polyimide showed excellent thermomechanical properties and shape memory performances, and retained high optical transparency after many shape memory cycles.