Adhesion and interfacial healing between supramolecular hybrid networks and glass substrates

Abstract Adhesion towards glass and interfacial healing of partially supramolecular hybrid polymer networks featuring a range of H-bonds content were investigated through two dedicated adhesion test methods. In a first series of tests, adhesion strength was measured by separating two substrates containing a cured inner resin layer, and shown to decrease with increasing H-bonds content in the polymer network (from 0 to 50%) as the mechanical strength of the polymer also decreased while the failure mechanism shifted from adhesive to cohesive due to the possibility to form hydrogen bonds with glass substrates. In a second step, the test was used to evaluate interface restoration through healing of the polymer matrices and results showed an increased from none to a tensile strength recovery up to 70% after 1 h healing time for the 50% H-bond polymer. Then, self-adhesion of freshly cut polymer surfaces to glass substrates was investigated, showing increasing tack with increasing H-bonds content. The influence of glass surface treatments on adhesion and interfacial recovery properties was also explored: while aminosilanes did not influence the interfacial behavior of partially supramolecular self-healing polymers towards glass, trimethoxy (octadecyl)silane (ODS) modification strongly hindered their adhesion abilities, further highlighting the fundamental role of hydrogen bonds interaction with the substrates.