Fig. 2: Characterizations of the silica-polymer nanocomposites.
a Isostrain stress relaxation of the neat polymer networks at 130 °C (strain is fixed at 10%). b Mechanical properties of composites with different contents of SiO2 nanoparticles. c Shape retention of the composites measured for an initial strain of 10%. d The impact of strain on the shape retention for P29. e Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image (left) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) mapping (right) of the composite surface. Scale bar: 2 μm. f SEM image of the composite surface after stretching by 100%, with the arrow showing the stretching direction. Scale bar: 2 μm. g Multi-step accumulative shape reconfiguration of the composite, with each step occurring at 130 °C for 2 h. Scale bars: 1 cm. All error bars represent standard deviations.
