Glass transition behaviors of epoxy-based shape memory polymer containing linear monomer

Abstract

As a novel smart material, shape memory polymer possesses the special thermo-mechanical property of shape memory effect. Its shape memory effect is closely related to the glass transitions between the glass state and rubber state induced by temperature changing. It is of engineering and theoretical meaning to investigate and describe the glass transition behaviors of shape memory polymer. In this study the glass transition behaviors of an epoxy-based shape memory polymer containing linear epoxy monomer are investigated using the tests of dynamic mechanical analysis. Results show both glass transition critical temperatures and storage modulus at rubber state of the epoxy-base shape memory polymer decrease as the content of linear monomer in such material increases. However the transition temperature width increases as the linear monomer content increases. A new glass transition model is supposed to describe the glass transition behaviors of epoxy-based shape memory polymer based on the experimental results. Numerical simulations show that the new glass transition model well predicts the glass transition behaviors of the epoxy-based shape memory polymer containing linear epoxy monomer.