Poly(2-alkyl/aryl-2-oxazoline)-Imidazole Complexes as Thermal Latent Curing Agents for Epoxy Resins.

One-component epoxy resins (OCERs) with improved stability (shelf life) and controlled curing temperatures were prepared using epoxy resins and polyoxazoline-imidazole (POZ-Im) based thermal latent curing agents (TLCs). POZ homopolymers with molar masses of 1000, 2000, and 5000 g/mol were obtained via cationic ring-opening polymerization (CROP) of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, 2-propyl-2-oxazoline, 2-pentyl-2-oxazoline, and 2-phenyl-2-oxazoline. TLCs were prepared by physically entrapping imidazole, the curing agent, in the POZ matrix at the homopolymer/Im (HP/Im) ratios of 1:1 and 5:1 and characterized by FTIR and TGA. TLCs were then mixed with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) to obtain OCERs with Im concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt %. Dynamic DSC tests were performed to determine the effect of the pendant group and molar mass of POZ, the POZ/Im ratio, and Im concentration on the curing behavior of the OCERs, whereas isothermal DSC tests were carried out to examine their thermal stability and optimal curing temperatures. Optical microscopy was performed to study the compatibility of the TLCs with DGEBA. This study showed that the dispersion quality of TLCs is highly associated with the compatibility of POZs and DGEBA, which affected the release of Im, thus left limit temperatures of curing. In addition, higher left limit temperatures were obtained when the POZ/Im ratio increased. Isothermal DSC results conformed to the improved stability and better thermal latency of the samples with a POZ/Im ratio of 5:1. Moreover, the higher left limit temperatures were obtained with the lowest molar mass of POZ due to the better interaction between the -OH end group of POZ and Im. The shelf life of PEOZ 1K-Im 5:1 1% OCER was predicted at -20, 0, and 20 °C, with an estimated 15.3 days at 20 °C using isothermal DSC and rheology at 50, 60, and 70 °C. Overall, this research contributes to the development of OCERs by introducing POZ-Im complexes as novel TLCs. The findings shed light on the importance of compatibility in achieving optimal dispersion and release of Im and the role of the POZ/Im ratio and POZ molar mass in controlling left limit temperatures, ultimately influencing the curing behavior of OCERs.

Schiff base crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels with tunable and cell instructive time-dependent mechanical properties.

The dynamic interplay between cells and their native extracellular matrix (ECM) influences cellular behavior, imposing a challenge in biomaterial design. Dynamic covalent hydrogels are viscoelastic and show self-healing ability, making them a potential scaffold for recapitulating native ECM properties. We aimed to implement kinetically and thermodynamically distinct crosslinkers to prepare self-healing dynamic hydrogels to explore the arising properties and their effects on cellular behavior. To do so, aldehyde-substituted hyaluronic acid (HA) was synthesized to generate imine, hydrazone, and oxime crosslinked dynamic covalent hydrogels. Differences in equilibrium constants of these bonds yielded distinct properties including stiffness, stress relaxation, and self-healing ability. The effects of degree of substitution (DS), polymer concentration, crosslinker to aldehyde ratio, and crosslinker functionality on hydrogel properties were evaluated. The self-healing ability of hydrogels was investigated on samples of the same and different crosslinkers and DS to obtain hydrogels with gradient properties. Subsequently, human dermal fibroblasts were cultured in 2D and 3D to assess the cellular response considering the dynamic properties of the hydrogels. Moreover, assessing cell spreading and morphology on hydrogels having similar modulus but different stress relaxation rates showed the effects of matrix viscoelasticity with higher cell spreading in slower relaxing hydrogels.

Amphiphilic Polyoxazoline Copolymer-Imidazole Complexes as Tailorable Thermal Latent Curing Agents for One-Component Epoxy Resins.

One-component epoxy resins (OCERs) are proposed to overcome the energy inefficiency and processing difficulties of conventional two-component epoxy resins by employing latent curing agents, specifically thermal latent curing agents (TLCs). Despite recent progress, the need for TLCs with a simple preparation method for different curing agents, epoxy resins, and process conditions remains. Here, tailorable TLCs were prepared by forming complexes between imidazole (Im) and amphiphilic polyoxazoline copolymers with tunable structures and properties by a solvent evaporation method. The obtained TLCs were manually mixed with DGEBA to prepare OCERs. The miscibility of the complexes with DGEBA was studied, considering the functionalities of copolymers. The curing behaviors of TLCs were compared using dynamic Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) studies considering the side chain and composition of the copolymers, copolymer:Im ratio, and concentration of Im in DGEBA. The curing behavior of the promising OCERs was studied by isothermal DSC studies to investigate their stability at different temperatures and curing rate at elevated temperatures revealing the stability of these OCERs.