Thermoelastic behavior of thermally crosslinked high-cis-1,4-polybutadiene

Polymers exhibiting reversible elongation upon cooling (EUC) and contraction upon heating (CUH) can be used to develop actuators, fasteners, dampers, grippers, swimmers, sealants, etc. In this work, the thermoelastic behavior of a thermally crosslinked elastomer, high-cis-1,4-polybutadiene has been investigated over a range of strain and temperature. Above ambient temperatures EUC and CUH are observed under load due to the phenomenon of thermoelastic inversion. At sub-ambient temperatures, the crystallization of the polymer produces additional additive contributions to these effects. Efforts to achieve EUC and CUH in this elastomer in the absence of an external load using bilayer films and competitively crosslinked double networks will be discussed.