Healing Strategy Based on Space Adjustment for Cross-Linked Polymer Networks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Healable materials can recover from mechanical damage.
• Current methods often require functional components or solvents, posing challenges.
• A strategy for intrinsic healing without additives is highly desirable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel healing strategy based on space adjustment in cross-linked polymers.
• To demonstrate self-healing in poly(octadecyl acrylate) without functional components.
• To investigate the impact of space adjustment on healing efficiency and mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing predesigned holes in cross-linked poly(octadecyl acrylate) networks.
• Employing annealing processes to induce polymer coil movement and reduce network density.
• Investigating the effect of space adjustment extent and cross-linking agent content.
• Analyzing the healing mechanism using rheology.

Main Results:

• The space adjustment strategy enables self-healing in poly(octadecyl acrylate).
• The highest healing efficiency achieved was 96%.
• Predesigned holes facilitate polymer coil mobility, promoting entanglement at fracture sites.

Conclusions:

• Space adjustment is an effective strategy for creating intrinsically healable polymer networks.
• This approach enhances polymer coil mobility, leading to efficient crack repair.
• The method offers a versatile strategy applicable to various polymer systems without functional design.