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Dynamic materials

The chemistry of self-healing

A reversible covalent reaction in which two oxygen-insensitive radicals combine to form a carbon–carbon bond provides the mechanism by which a polymer gel can self-heal at room temperature without the need for any external stimulus.

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Figure 1: Self-healing materials.

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Correspondence to Marek W. Urban.

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Urban, M. The chemistry of self-healing. Nature Chem 4, 80–82 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1249

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