A series of highly fluorinated polyimide/allomelanin nanoparticles (FPI/AMNPs) films were prepared with FPI as the matrix and AMNPs as the filler. Due to the formation of hydrogen bonds, significantly reinforced mechanical and UV-shielding properties are acquired. Stress-strain curves demonstrated a maximum tensile strength of 150.59 MPa and a fracture elongation of 1.40% (0.7 wt.% AMNPs), respectively, 1.78 and 1.56× that of pure FPI. The measurements of the UV-vis spectrum, photodegradation of curcumin and repeated running tests confirmed the splendid UV-shielding capabilities of FPI/AMNPs films. The enhancement mechanisms, such as synergistic UV absorption of the charge transfer complexes in FPI and AMNPs and photothermal conversion, were the reasons for its exceptional UV shielding. The excellent comprehensive properties above enable FPI/AMNPs nanocomposites to be potential candidates in the field of UV shielding.
Keywords: UV-shielding properties; allomelanin; mechanical properties; nanocomposite; polyimide.