Melt‐processable and self‐healing poly(vinyl alcohol) elastomer containing diol groups in the side chain

ABSTRACT A 3‐amino‐1,2‐propane diol functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol) elastomer (PVA–COO–AP) with melt processability and self‐healing properties was prepared by chemical graft modification, that is, a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) carboxylation and carbodiimide reaction. Unlike that of conventional PVA modifiers, the incorporation of diol groups in the 3‐amino‐1,2‐propane diol molecules onto PVA chains reduced the breaking of intrinsic hydrogen‐bonding interactions of PVA because of the formation of new hydrogen bonds between the diol groups and the hydroxyl groups of PVA. PVA–COO–AP possessed a lower melting temperature and a higher decomposition temperature than PVA; this enabled the melt processing of PVA. The PVA–COO–AP samples prepared by compression molding exhibited excellent flexibility and elasticity, and the samples with a lower glass‐transition temperature below ambient temperature could be self‐healed because of the existence of dynamic hydrogen bonds. AP–COO–AP is believed to have potential applications in the fields of fibers and biomedical membranes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46050.