Self‐Forming Interlocking Interfaces on the Immiscible Polymer Bilayers via Gelation‐Mediated Phase Separation

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 38; no. 17
• Main Authors: Zhou, Xiaozhuang, Ma, Guoqiang, Zhao, Huaixia, Cui, Jiaxi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2017
• Subjects: Chemistry Techniques, Analytical - instrumentation; Dimethylpolysiloxanes - chemistry; Evaporation; Feasibility studies; Fracture toughness; Gelation; Gels; immiscible polymer bilayer; Interfaces; interfacial adhesion; interlocking structure; Locking; Metals; Microscopy; Phase separation; Polydimethylsiloxane; Polymer films; Polymers; Polymers - chemical synthesis; Urea; Urea - chemistry; gelation; interlocking structure; phase separation; interfacial adhesion; immiscible polymer bilayer
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.201700206

Gelation‐mediated phase separation is applied to prepare immiscible polymer bilayer films with an interlocking interface structure. Polymer systems consisting of copolymer of urea and polydimethylsiloxane and epoxy are selected to demonstrate the feasibility. When the epoxy fraction exceeds 25 wt%, well‐defined bilayer structures self‐form by a one‐pot casting method in which the phase separation state is fixed by an evaporation‐induced gelation. Microscopy studies of the resulting bilayers clearly reveal that interlocking structures form during the bilayer films construct. The interlocking structures lead to an enhanced interfacial adhesion and higher fracture energy. The current strategy might offer a facile way to in situ create an interlocking interface between immiscible polymer systems. Interlocking interface structure self‐forms between immiscible silicone/epoxy bilayers when evaporation‐induced gelation occurs during phase separation. At the phase separating interface, droplets are fixed when approaching their homogeneous phases. This facile one‐pot casting method can increase interface adhesion without changing interface chemical composition.