Polymethylmethacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid (PMMA‐co‐MAA) was utilized for surface improvement of silica to be used as reinforcement in self‐healing natural rubber based on metal thiolate ionic network. The amount of PMMA‐co‐MAA was varied at 1, 3, and 5 wt% of silica content and the optimized PMMA‐co‐MAA was utilized to investigate the self‐healing NR/silica composites at different filler loading (5, 10, 20, and 30 phr). The graft polymerization of PMMA‐co‐MAA on silica was confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy and grafting percentage was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Intermolecular diffusion occurred at the fractured area was detected using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the results revealed that the composite tensile and tear performance increased 22%–70% with healing efficiency percentage ranging between 70% and 97% depending on the silica loading.
Xylitol-based polyesters such as poly(xylitol sebacate) PXS are said to be the potential new materials for tissue engineering due to their adjustable mechanical and degradation properties. However, the result indicates that the elastomers are very soft and have a low elongation at break. Therefore, to increase the mechanical strength and minimize the rate of degradation, glutamic acid was added as the third monomer into the PXS. Novel Poly (xylitol Sebacate Glutamate) (PXSG) was successfully synthesized through melt polycondensation without using any harsh solvents and catalysts. The mixture was synthesized at 120°C for about 8 hours. Post polymerization process was carried out in the oven at 100 °C for three days to develop the crosslink network formation. Several testing and characterization were conducted to evaluate the effect of glutamic acid concentration in the polymer. From the result, FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the ester bond formation, tensile strength and Young's modulus increased significantly while the percent of elongation at break and degradation rate decreased as the glutamic acid ratio increased.
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