A General Chain Lubrication Strategy for Ultra-Stretchable Polyacrylate Elastomers

Abstract

Polyacrylate elastomers have enormous application potential in various fields. However, facile and universal synthetic strategies remain rare for ultrastretchable polyacrylates (especially those with extension ratios ≥50) that are adaptable to various building blocks. Here, we develop a novel chain lubrication strategy to reduce the interchain friction and improve the slip of polymer chains during deformation. By constructing polyacrylates with soft, hard, and quaternary ammonium segments, we fabricate ultrastretchable elastomers (extension ratios up to 323) through emulsion polymerization and film casting, using quaternary ammonium surfactants (QASs) as emulsifiers. The lubricating mechanism of QASs is explored by varying the chemical structures of QASs, and it is demonstrated that QASs enhance the fluidity of polymer chains while forming eutectics with quaternary ammonium segments to construct physical cross-linking sites in the polymer networks. We also demonstrate the successful synthesis of a variety of ultrastretchable elastomers by replacing soft and hard segment monomers or surfactants, confirming the effectiveness and generalizability of the chain lubrication strategy. The chain lubrication strategy promises to pioneer new methods for fabricating highly ductile elastomers and advancing industrial rubbers.