Plastics self-healing

During the last years ROMP has been developed to generate self-healing polymers. In these polymers droplets of dicyclopentadiene and of Grubbs-catalyst are incorporated. When the polymer cracks the droplets burst open, the catalyst comes into contact with the monomer and the plastic ideally heals itself [111]. This methodology is still far from application but it does indicate the power of ROMP. 

The objective of Materials Chemistry is to provide an overview of the various types of materials, with a focus on synthetic methodologies and relationships between the structure of a material and its overall properties. Each chapter will feature a section entitled Important Materials Applications that will describe an interesting current/future application related to a particular class of material. Topics for these sections include fuel cells, depleted uranium, solar cells, self-healing plastics, and molecular machines e.g., artificial muscles). 

Plasticized polymer films are known to possess an unusual property of self-healing. Their sealing capacity is not impaired noticeably even by 100 pm diameter punctures. The data presented in Fig. 2.59a prove that the electrolyte (0.1 N solution of HCl) cannot penetrate through the PE film plasticized by the mineral oil even in the presence of puncture defects and the effect of mechanical vibration. Testing of a plasticized PE film has shown... 

We disregard mainly the inexhaustible apphcability of polymers. Artificial blood, plastic blood , is under consideration in some French hospitals to compensate for the lack of plasma in stock. Self-healing polymers have also been created. 

Lee, J.K. Liu, X., Yoon, S.H. Characterization of diene monomers as self-healing agent for polymer composite and its microcapsules. In Conference Proceedings, Society of Plastics Engineers, Annual Technical Conference 2005, ANTEC 2005, vol. 6, pp. 264-268. 

Montamal D, Toumilhac F, Hidalgo M, Couturier J-L, Leibler L (2009) Versatile one-pot synthesis of supramolecular plastics and self-healing rabbtus. J Am Chem Soc 131 7966... 

Voyiadjis, G., Shojaei, A., and Li, G. (2011) A thermodynamic consistent damage and healing model for self healing materials. International Journal of Plasticity, 27, 1025-1044. 

Van der Zwaag, Sybrand, ed. Self-Healing Materials An Alternative Approach to Twenty Centuries of Materials Science. Dordrecht, the Netherlands Springer, 2007. A collection of articles from a conference on self-healing polymers and other plastics materials. 

Epcos offers epoxy resin sealed metallised polyester (polyethylene terephthlate) film types with the addition of a UL 94 VO plastic case. MetalUsed polypropylene types offered by Epcos are claimed to have very good self-healing properties and a very high pulse strength. 

Microcapsules are also used in novel plastics that can automatically repair damage known as self-healing materials. 

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