Self-healing materials with microvascular networks
Source abstract
Abstract
Self-healing polymers composed of microencapsulated healing agents exhibit remarkable mechanical performance and regenerative ability, but are limited to autonomic repair of a single damage event in a given location. Self-healing is triggered by crack-induced rupture of the embedded capsules; thus, once a localized region is depleted of healing agent, further repair is precluded. Re-mendable polymers can achieve multiple healing cycles, but require external intervention in the form of heat treatment and applied pressure. Here, we report a self-healing system capable of autonomously repairing repeated damage events. Our bio-inspired coating-substrate design delivers healing agent to cracks in a polymer coating via a three-dimensional microvascular network embedded in the substrate. Crack damage in the epoxy coating is healed repeatedly. This approach opens new avenues for continuous delivery of healing agents for self-repair as well as other active species for additional functionality.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Polymer composites and self-healing · Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications · Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (23)
Show source-provided references
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