Supramolecular self-healing materials

Herbst F, Seiffert S, Binder WH (2012) Dynamic supramolecular poly(isobutylene)s for self-healing materials. Polym Chem 3(11) 3084—3092... 

Supramolecular polymers are a growth area. Self-healing materials, which have only to be warmed to seal a crack, or even just squeezed, have already been made. Adhesives with special properties are another application, and also printer inks, which flow in the hot pen and set solid on the paper. There is plenty of further scope for the imagination. 

Inspired by our bodies ability to heal, self-healing materials have the ability to repair themselves when they are damaged. In the literature discussed in other chapters in this book, supramolecular chemistry as well as sample conditions were varied in order to examine whether gel rheological behavior is dependent on factors like polymer functionality sequence, polymer concentration, temperature and pH. 

Microcrack formation and crack propagatiOTi are a common cause of material failure. To overcome this problem, supramolecular polymer networks have been developed that can self-heal on the basis of the dynamic nature of their reversible cross-links [268]. The healing can either occur in an autonomous fashion or upmi exposure to an external stimulus such as heat, light, pressure, or mechanical stress. 

Roy N, Buhler E, Lehn JM (2013) The tris-urea motif and its incorporation into polydimethylsiloxane-based supramolecular materials presenting self-healing features. ChemEur J 19(27) 8814-8820... 

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