Integrating Benzoxazine-PDMS 3D Networks with Carbon Nanotubes for flexible Pressure Sensors

Shapeable and flexible pressure sensors with superior mechanical and electrical properties are of major interest as they can be employed in a wide range of applications. In this regard, elastomer-based composites incorporating carbon nanomaterials in the insulating matrix embody an appealing solution for designing flexible pressure sensors with specific properties. In this study, PDMS chains of different molecular weight were successfully functionalized with benzoxazine moieties in order to thermally cure them without adding a second component, nor a catalyst or an initiator. These precursors were then blended with 1 weight percent of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using an ultrasound probe, which induced a transition from a liquid-like to a gel-like behavior as CNTs generate an interconnected network within the matrix. After curing, the resulting nanocomposites exhibit mechanical and electrical properties making them highly promising materials for pressure-sensing applications.

Preparation and properties of benzoxazine precursors containing siloxane units and their epoxy copolymers

Four siloxane benzoxazines containing different rigid segments were successfully synthesized and characterized herein, including a benzene ring, a biphenyl, a naphthalene ring, and a diphenyl sulfone group. Different rigid segments had different effects on polymer properties. The introduction of the naphthalene ring and sulfone group considerably reduced the curing temperature of benzoxazine. Although the benzoxazine with the naphthalene ring exhibited low heat resistance, all the four samples showed a high char yield at 800°C under nitrogen atmosphere. In addition, during copolymerization with AG-80 epoxy, the introduction of epoxy promoted the curing of the benzoxazines containing the naphthalene ring and sulfone group. The heat resistance of all copolymers was considerably improved, especially for the copolymer containing the naphthalene ring, whose 5% thermal weight loss temperature ( Td5) increased from 248°C to 321°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The copolymer containing the biphenyl structure had the highest glass transition temperature, reaching 259.1°C. Copolymerization with epoxy also considerably improved the tensile strength and elongation at break of the copolymers, which were much higher than those of traditional bisphenol A-aniline based benzoxazine (BA-a). Compared with the neat benzoxazine prepared using siloxane and bisphenol A, the developed copolymers also had better tensile properties, and the copolymer containing the sulfone group showed the greatest improvement (from 49 to 69 MPa, from 3.1% to 9.12%).

Synthesis, ring-opening polymerization, and properties of benzoxazines based on o- and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohols

Two series of bifunctional benzoxazines were synthesized from o- and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohols ( oHBA and pHBA), three aliphatic diamines containing ether linkage (Jeffamines D230 and D400 and 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (TTDDA)), and paraformaldehyde. The chemical structures of the benzoxazines were confirmed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The ring-opening polymerization of the benzoxazines was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR, respectively. oHBA-based benzoxazines respectively exhibit lower onset temperatures of ring-opening polymerization than pHBA-based counterparts due to the O–H∙∙∙O intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between the hydrogen of ortho-methylol group and the oxygen in oxazine ring, and oHBA-based polybenzoxazines respectively show lower glass transition temperatures ( Tgs) than pHBA-based counterparts due to the difference in crosslinking density caused by the steric hindrance effect of the position of methylol group on the polymerization of benzoxazine monomers. In each of the two series of benzoxazines, the onset temperature of ring-opening polymerization of D230-based benzoxazine is close to that of TTDDA-based analogue and lower than that of D400-based counterpart owing to the steric effect of the chain length and chain volume of the bridging structure between the oxazine rings on the polymerization, and the Tg of D230-based polybenzoxazine is close to that of TTDDA-based analogue and much higher than that of D400-based counterpart owing to the difference in crosslinking density caused by the steric hindrance effect of the bridging structure on the polymerization of benzoxazine monomers. In addition, all the polybenzoxazines exhibit thermally induced shape memory effect. In each of the two series of polybenzoxazines, the shape recovery rate and ratio of D400-based polybenzoxazine are respectively close to those of D230-based counterpart and higher than those of TTDDA-based analogue due to the difference in network architecture.

Synthesis and thermal properties of silicon-containing benzoxazine

A novel benzoxazine, containing silicon (Si) in the main chain and bonded to two benzene ring, was synthesized from aniline, bis( p-hydroxyphenyl)dimethylsilane, and paraformaldehyde. The structure was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The curing behavior of the benzoxazine was evaluated by differential scanning calorimeter and in situ FTIR. The thermal stability of the resulting polybenzoxazine was studied by thermogravimetric analysis under nitrogen and air atmospheres. The results indicated that the Si-containing polybenzoxazine possessed significantly higher initial degradation temperature and char yield than conventional bisphenol A/aniline-based polybenzoxazine.