Tough Self-Healing Elastomers by Molecular Enforced Integration of Covalent and Reversible Networks.

ABSTRACT: Self-healing polymers crosslinked by solely reversible bonds are intrinsically weaker than common covalently crosslinked networks. Introducing covalent crosslinks into a reversible network would improve mechanical strength. It is challenging, however, to apply this concept to "dry" elastomers, largely because reversible crosslinks such as hydrogen bonds are often polar motifs, whereas covalent crosslinks are nonpolar motifs. These two types of bonds are intrinsically immiscible without cosolvents. Here, we design and fabricate a hybrid polymer network by crosslinking randomly branched polymers carrying motifs that can form both reversible hydrogen bonds and permanent covalent crosslinks. The randomly branched polymer links such two types of bonds and forces them to mix on the molecular lev

SUBMITTER: Wu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5903875 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature