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Monitoring Network and Interfacial Healing Processes by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy: A Case Study on Natural
M Hernández1, A M Grande1, S van der Zwaag1
1Novel Aerospace Materials Group, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology , Kluyverweg 1, 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|April 9, 2016
Summary
Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) effectively monitors elastomer damage and healing. While mechanical properties recover, BDS reveals altered polymer architecture post-healing, crucial for self-healing materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Spectroscopy
Background:
- Elastomers are susceptible to network and macroscale damage.
- Understanding damage and healing is vital for self-healing polymer applications.
- Current monitoring techniques may not capture subtle changes in polymer architecture.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) as a novel technique for monitoring elastomer damage and healing.
- Investigate the effectiveness of BDS in detecting both invisible network damage and macroscopic cracks.
- Characterize the polymer architecture changes after healing using BDS.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) to analyze pristine, damaged, and healed natural rubber samples.
- Employed a partially cured sulfur-cured natural rubber with reversible disulfides for healing.
- Determined relaxation times and fitted data to the Havriliak-Negami equation for polymer parameter extraction.
Main Results:
- BDS successfully monitored network and macroscale damage healing in elastomers.
- Seemingly full mechanical healing was observed for both invisible network damage and macroscopic cracks.
- BDS revealed that the polymer architecture in healed materials differed from the original pristine material.
Conclusions:
- BDS is a powerful tool for assessing the true extent of healing in self-healing elastomers.
- The study highlights the importance of advanced techniques like BDS to understand polymer architecture evolution during healing.
- Findings advance the understanding of intrinsic self-healing polymer systems for applications like coatings and seals.
