Preparation and characterization of POSS-crosslinked PCL based hybrid materials

PCL based hybrid films exhibiting heat-responsive shape memory properties had been obtained by using Heptaphenyltricycloheptasiloxane Trihydroxy Silanol (T7-OH) as a cross-linker. The crystallization behaviors of the materials were studied in detail by DSC and XRD. The thermal properties of the materials were detected through TGA. The static mechanical properties, in vitro degradation and shape memory properties were also studied systematically. There was no remarkable T7-OH crystal plane diffraction peak according to XRD which indicated that T7-OH was well dispersed in the matrix. Meanwhile, according to the TGA, thermal degradation temperatures were increased significantly when T7-OH were added. It was worth noting that the materials possessed excellent shape memory properties with Rf > 97 % and Rr > 97 %.