Polyolefin Thermoplastics for Multiple Shape and Reversible Shape Memory

Abstract

This work reports the first pure hydrocarbon thermoplastic polyolefin material with reversible shape memory effect under stress-free or very small external loading condition. A thermoplastic ethylene/1-octene diblock copolymer with designed chain microstructure was synthesized. The polyolefin material performed not only the conventional one-way multishape memory effects, but also a two-way reversible shape memory effect (RSME). The elongation and contraction induced by oriented crystallization with heating was confirmed as the mechanism of RSME without chemical cross-linking. This work demonstrated that the thermoplastic reversible shape memory could be achieved through careful design of chain microstructure, based on sole hydrocarbon materials such as ethylene-1-octene copolymer.