Redox stimulated variable-modulus material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10894846-B2
Application number	US-201615368254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 9, 2011
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

A material having a first non-zero elastic modulus capable of reversibly changing the first non-zero elastic modulus to a second non-zero elastic modulus in response to a redox reaction occurring in the material. A method of producing a material that is reversibly cyclable between a first non-zero elastic modulus and a second non-zero elastic modulus, comprising: preparing a polymer comprising both crosslinks that do not depend on metal binding and functional groups capable of having oxidation-state specific binding constants to a metal ion; and doping the polymer with a solution containing the metal ion.

First claim

We claim:

1. A material reversibly cyclable between a first non-zero elastic modulus and a second non-zero elastic modulus comprising one or more metal ions and a polymer having both crosslinks that do not depend on metal binding and functional groups that have oxidation-state specific binding constants to the metal ions, wherein the polymer further comprises a least one conductive additive selected from the group consisting of: carbon nanotubes, chemically modified carbon nanotubes, graphene, partially-reduced graphene oxide, chemically modified graphene, conducting polymers and nanoparticles.

2. The material of claim 1 wherein the first non-zero elastic modulus is capable of reversibly changing to a second non-zero elastic modulus in response to changes in metal ion binding due to redox reactions occurring in the material.

3. The material of claim 2 wherein the redox reaction is caused by an electric potential applied across the material or by exposing the material to an oxidant or reductant.

4. The material of claim 2 wherein the first non-zero elastic modulus or second non-zero elastic modulus is maintained by the material after abatement of the redox reaction.

5. The material of claim 2 wherein the material, in-whole or in-part, may reversibly change from substantially the first non-zero elastic modulus to substantially the second non-zero elastic modulus and vice versa upon successive redox reactions occurring in the material, in-whole or in-part.

6. The material of claim 2 wherein the material has a minimum elastic modulus and a maximum elastic modulus, wherein each of the first non-zero elastic modulus and the second nonzero elastic modulus may consist of a value at the minimum elastic modulus, the maximum elastic modulus or a value therebetween wherein the first non-zero elastic modulus is greater than the second non-zero elastic modulus or the first non-zero elastic modulus is less than the second non-zero elastic modulus.

7. The material of claim 2 wherein the material defines a first shape while the material has the first non-zero elastic modulus which is less than the second non-zero elastic modulus, wherein the first shape may be deformed to define a second shape and wherein the second shape is maintained after application to the material of a redox reaction and wherein the material attains the second non-zero elastic modulus.

8. The material of claim 2 wherein the material is a component of a composite structure.

Assignees

• Univ Of Pittsburgh—Of The Commonwealth System Of Higher Education

Inventors

• Pan Tianqi
• Meyer Tara Yvonne
• Clark William W
• Waldeck David
• Weiland Lisa Mauck
• Calvo-Marzal Percy
• Harris Rachel D
• Liu Haitao

Classifications

• C08F28/02 Primary

  by a bond to sulfur · CPC title

• C08F212/30 Primary

  Sulfur · CPC title

• C08F26/06

  by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen · CPC title

• H01B1/24

  the conductive material comprising carbon-silicon compounds, carbon or silicon · CPC title

• C08F220/06

  Acrylic acid; Methacrylic acid; Metal salts or ammonium salts thereof · CPC title