Letter abstract
Nature Materials 6, 581 - 585 (2007)
Published online: 10 June 2007 | doi:10.1038/nmat1934
Subject Categories: Polymers | Mechanical properties | Design synthesis and processing
Self-healing materials with microvascular networks
Kathleen S. Toohey1,2, Nancy R. Sottos2,3, Jennifer A. Lewis2,3, Jeffrey S. Moore2,4 & Scott R. White2,5
Self-healing polymers composed of microencapsulated healing agents exhibit remarkable mechanical performance and regenerative ability1, 2, 3, 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 polymers4, 5 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 network6 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.
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Beckman Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
Correspondence to: Nancy R. Sottos2,3 e-mail: n-sottos@uiuc.edu
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