Combination of Magnetic and Enhanced Mechanical Properties for Copolymer-Grafted Magnetite Composite Thermoplastic Elastomers

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Composite thermoplastic elastomers (CTPEs) of magnetic copolymer-grafted nanoparticles (magnetite, Fe₃O₄) were synthesized and characterized to generate magnetic CTPEs, which combined the magnetic property of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and the thermoplastic elasticity of the grafted amorphous polymer matrix. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles served as stiff, multiple physical cross-linking points homogeneously dispersed in the grafted poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) rubbery matrix synthesized via the activators regenerated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization method (ARGET ATRP). The preparation technique for magnetic CTPEs opened a new route toward developing a wide spectrum of magnetic elastomeric materials with strongly enhanced macroscopic properties. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the glass transition temperatures, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to examine thermal stabilities of these CTPEs. The magnetic property could be conveniently tuned by adjusting the content of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in CTPEs. Compared to their linear copolymers, these magnetic CTPEs showed significant increases in tensile strength and elastic recovery. In situ small-angle X-ray scattering measurement was conducted to reveal the microstructural evolution of CTPEs during tensile deformation.