Ultra-efficient photo-triggerable healing and shape-memory nanocomposite materials doped with copper sulfide nanoparticles

Abstract Smart materials with shape-memory and healing capability have received increasing interests because of their many potential applications. Here, a novel nanocomposite fabricated by polyurethane (PU) and copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNPs), which demonstrated ultra-efficient photo-triggerable healing and shape memory properties under near-infrared (NIR). The content of CuSNPs, photothermal agent, was deeply related to the performance. The healing efficiency of nanocomposite with higher content (0.1 wt%) of CuSNPs was over 97% under NIR, and their shape recovery ratio (Rr) could up to 100%. When the content of CuSNPs was 0.05 wt%, the nanocomposite only exhibited undesirability shape memory property (Rr = 78.6%). The healed nanocomposite film retained its photo-triggered shape memory property with original mechanical strength. The superior property, along with the low-cost of fabrication, make the novel nanocomposite ideal candidates for an ensemble of applications, including biomedical, packing and aerospace.