Prolonged in situ self-healing in structural composites via thermo-reversible entanglement.

ABSTRACT: Natural processes continuously degrade a material's performance throughout its life cycle. An emerging class of synthetic self-healing polymers and composites possess property-retaining functions with the promise of longer lifetimes. But sustained in-service repair of structural fiber-reinforced composites remains unfulfilled due to material heterogeneity and thermodynamic barriers in commonly cross-linked polymer-matrix constituents. Overcoming these inherent challenges for mechanical self-recovery is vital to extend in-service operation and attain widespread adoption of such bioinspired structural materials. Here we transcend existing obstacles and report a fiber-composite capable of minute-scale and prolonged in situ healing - 100 cycles: an order of magnitude higher than prior studies.

SUBMITTER: Snyder AD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9622832 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature