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Enhancing Molecular Chain Entanglement and π-π Stacking Toward the Improvement of Shape Memory Performance of Polyimide

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Abstract

Thermoplastic polyimides (PIs) with shape memory potential have received growing attention in recent years. In this work, high-performance thermoplastic PIs were fabricated by introducing PIs with chain rigidity (r-PI) into PI with chain flexibility (f-PI). The influences of molecular chain entanglement and π-π interactions on their thermomechanical and shape memory properties were investigated. The degree of molecular chain entanglement was quantitively characterized based on dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The π-π interactions were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It was found that the entanglement density increased and π-π interactions became stronger with the introduction of r-PI into f-PI, leading to the improvement of shape recovery. Moreover, a broad and increased glass transition temperature (Tg) was achieved, endowing the PIs with multiple shape memory properties. The synergistic effects of increased entanglement density and enhanced π-π interactions were beneficial to regulating interchain interactions and thereby achieving high shape memory performance of the PIs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Engineering Research Center for Clean Production of Textile Printing and Dyeing, Ministry of Education (No. FZYR2021001), Shanghai Pujiang Program (No. 19PJ1400400) and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Lightweight Composite (No. 2232019A4-04).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center of High Performance Fibers and Composite (Province-Ministry Joint), Center for Civil Aviation Composites, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Jia-Qiang Li, Wen-Ting Zhang, Shu Zhu, Chu-Yang Luo, Wan-Shuang Liu & Li-Ying Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Jia-Qiang Li, Wen-Ting Zhang, Shu Zhu, Chu-Yang Luo, Wan-Shuang Liu & Li-Ying Zhang

  3. Shanghai Donghua Composites Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai, 201620, China

    Wen-Shuang Li

  4. Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Chu-Yang Luo, Wan-Shuang Liu & Li-Ying Zhang

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  1. Jia-Qiang Li
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  2. Wen-Shuang Li
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  4. Shu Zhu
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Correspondence to Li-Ying Zhang.

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Li, JQ., Li, WS., Zhang, WT. et al. Enhancing Molecular Chain Entanglement and π-π Stacking Toward the Improvement of Shape Memory Performance of Polyimide. Chin J Polym Sci 41, 1261–1268 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-023-2911-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-023-2911-9

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