Li Jinxing, Peng Jin, Huang Jinhao, Chen Shusheng, Liu Weifeng, Qiu Xueqing
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Green Fine Chemicals, South China University of Technology, Wushan Road 381, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510640, China.
School of Advanced Manufacturing, Guangdong University of Technology, Jieyang, 515200, P. R. China.
Macromol Rapid Commun. 2025 Mar;46(5):e2400915. doi: 10.1002/marc.202400915. Epub 2024 Dec 23.
Photothermal-triggering shape memory polyurethane allows for precise and controllable shape transformation under remote light stimulation, making it highly desirable for applications in intelligent devices. This study develops a sustainable and high-performance lignin-based polyurethane (LPU) using a one-stone-two-birds strategy, wherein lignin serves as both a synthetic monomer and an internal photothermal agent. The incorporation of lignin significantly improved the mechanical properties of LPU, achieving a tensile strength of 42.1 MPa and an impressive elongation at break of 1558%. Additionally, the LPU exhibited exceptional photothermal heating capabilities due to the inherent intramolecular π-π conjugations and intermolecular π-π stacking effects of lignin, which facilitated the precise and contactless remote photoheating. Furthermore, the rigid structure of lignin and robust hydrogen bonding interactions provided LPU with excellent multi-cycle shape memory performance, with shape fixation and shape recovery rates exceeding 93% after five cycles. Under near-infrared irradiation, LPU demonstrated precise non-contact heating and remote photothermal shape-control capabilities. This research not only offers a sustainable and high-value application for lignin but also advances the development of environmentally friendly intelligent shape memory polyurethane materials.
光热触发形状记忆聚氨酯能够在远程光刺激下实现精确且可控的形状转变，这使其在智能设备应用中极具吸引力。本研究采用一石二鸟策略开发了一种可持续且高性能的木质素基聚氨酯（LPU），其中木质素既作为合成单体又作为内部光热剂。木质素的加入显著改善了LPU的机械性能，拉伸强度达到42.1MPa，断裂伸长率高达1558%，令人印象深刻。此外，由于木质素固有的分子内π-π共轭和分子间π-π堆积效应，LPU展现出卓越的光热加热能力，这有利于实现精确的非接触式远程光热加热。再者，木质素的刚性结构和强大的氢键相互作用赋予LPU优异的多循环形状记忆性能，经过五个循环后，形状固定率和形状回复率均超过93%。在近红外照射下，LPU展现出精确的非接触加热和远程光热形状控制能力。本研究不仅为木质素提供了一种可持续且高价值的应用，还推动了环保型智能形状记忆聚氨酯材料的发展。
