Synthesis and Characterization of Hydroxy-telechelic Four-arm Star-shaped Oligo(tetrahydrofuran), Their Crosslinking, and Thermomechanical Investigation of the Poymer Network

Abstract

Here the synthesis of hydroxy-telechelic four-arm star-shaped oligotetrahydrofuran (4PTHF) with controllable molecular weight was explored, which was perfomed as living cationic ring-opening polymerization of THF using pentaerythritol and trifluoromethanesulfonicanhydride as initiation system. The molecular weights of the 4PTHF were a function of the reaction time. A polymer network was prepared from the hydroxy-telechelic 4PTHF precursor by crosslinking with diisocyanate and the shape-memory properties were determined. High values for Rf and Rr > 98% were obtained even at high programmed elongations, which suggest the 4PTHF-network as a promising shape-memory material. These materials might have a great potential, as the upscaling of synthesis could be successfully demonstrated.