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Elasticity and Relaxation in Full and Partial Vitrimer Networks

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Abstract

We develop a continuum model of dynamic-mechanical response of vitrimers, where the elastic energy of the material accounts for the conserved number of the crosslinks in the network. We also prepare partial vitrimer networks, which consist of variable fractions of transient network based on boronic ester bond-exchange, and of a permanent polymer network. By fitting the theory to our experimental data on stress relaxation, the bond-exchange rate and the fraction of the permanent elastic network are obtained with a linear relationship between the fraction of the transient polymer network and the ratio between the boronic ester and the flexible spacer among the chain-extending thiols. For a 100% vitrimer undergoing a ramp deformation, the stress of the material fi rst increases and then decreases, where the yield time decreases with the increasing strain rate. A partial vitrimer can behave as a pure elastic material without yielding at low strain rates or show a non-monotonic `S-shaped' stress-strain relationship at high strain rates.

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Keywords

40 Engineering, 3403 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry, 4016 Materials Engineering, 34 Chemical Sciences

Journal Title

Macromolecules

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0024-9297
1520-5835

Volume Title

52

Publisher

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Rights

All rights reserved
Sponsorship
European Research Council (786659)
This work was supported by the European Research Council grant No: 786659. F. M. acknowledges Humboldt Foundation for the support.