Mechanical Properties of Pseudo-SIPNs

Young s modulus and the ultimate strain of PCL change from 240MPa and 620% to 170MPa and 70%, respectively, upon end-capping with C,5o. 

From the results discussed so far, it appears that the end-capping of a polymer with C o does not necessarily bring about improvements in mechanical properties. 

For PEO, the benefits of end-capping with C(o are tremendous, whereas for PCL the mechanical properties deteriorate. At this stage, it is not clear what types of polymers would definitely benefit from end-capping with Ca). 

The mechanical properties of FPEOF/PMMA pseudo-SIPNs have been reported by Wang et al. [40]. Two series of pseudo-SIPNs were prepared, one based on FPE05F (samples A, B and C) and the other based on FPE012F (samples D, E and F). The FPEOF contents are 9.1,14.9, 25.0, 8.7,11.9 and 35.9 wt% for samples A-F, respectively the corresponding Cgo contents are 1.6, 2.7, 4.5, 1.1, 1.5 and 4.6 wt%, respectively. 

Poly(L-Iactic acid) (PLLA) is a biodegradable polymer that is widely used in biomedical applications. However, the low ultimate strain of 3% makes PLLA very brittle and difficult to process. PEO has been added to PLLA to improve its process- 

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Mechanical Properties of Pseudo-SIPNs 85 Table 4.2 Strain-stress properties of PMMA and pseudo-SIPNs (A-F). 

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