The elastomer mends itself after being cut in two by a razor blade and can be manually stretched without rupture
Scientists report the first self-healing thermoset elastomer that requires no intervention to induce its repair.
Self-healing polymers mend themselves by reforming broken cross-linking bonds. However, the cross-linking healing mechanism usually requires an external stimulus.
Triggers to promote bond repair include energy inputs, such as heat or light, or specific environmental conditions, such as pH. Self-healing polymers that can spontaneously achieve quantitative healing in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before, until now.
Ibon Odriozola previously came close when his group at the CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in Spain developed self-healing silicone elastomers using silver nanoparticles as cross-linkers. Unfortunately, an applied external pressure was required and the expensive sliver component disfavoured commercialisation. But now they have achieved their goal to prepare self-healing elastomers from common polymeric starting materials using a simple and inexpensive approach.
An industrially familiar, permanently cross-linked poly(urea–urethane) elastomeric network was demonstrated to completely mend itself after being cut in two by a razor blade. It is the metathesis reaction of aromatic disulphides, which naturally exchange at room temperature, that causes regeneration.
Ibon stresses the use of commercially available materials is important for industrial applications. He says the polymer behaves as if it was alive, always healing itself and has dubbed it a “terminator” polymer – a tribute to the shape-shifting, molten T-1000 terminator robot from the Terminator 2 film. It acts as a velcro-like sealant or adhesive, displaying an impressive 97% healing efficiency in just two hours and does not break when stretched manually.
David Mecerreyes, a polymer chemistry specialist at the University of the Basque Country in Spain, sees opportunities to use this elastomer to improve the security and duration of many plastic parts, for example in cars, houses, electrical components and biomaterials.
The Latest Bing News on:
Self-healing material
- Xenobots 2.0: Scientists Create the Next Generation of Living Robotson May 2, 2021 at 2:33 pm
Artificial living organisms can move material in swarms and record information. Last year, a team of biologists and computer scientists from Tufts University and the University of Vermont (UVM) ...
- Using light-activated 3D printing to manufacture self-healing hydrogels with complex architectureson April 28, 2021 at 9:59 pm
The scientific community is focusing its research into the multiple applications of Hydrogels, polymeric materials which contains a large amount of water, that have the potential to reproduce the ...
- Researchers develop dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 28, 2021 at 9:05 pm
Robots that resemble organs are known as soft robots, and in order for them to function they must be made of a flexible material, however a material that can also heal itself would be a bonus if wear ...
- 3D-printed self-healing hydrogels via Digital Light Processingon April 28, 2021 at 2:58 am
Self-healing hydrogels can mimic the damage repair behaviour of living tissues, but such hydrogels have only been processed via extrusion-based additive manufacturing technology. Here, the authors ...
- University of Warwick: Smart dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 27, 2021 at 9:11 pm
Soft robots must be made of a flexible and damage-tolerant material to avoid tearing• Materials that can self-heal damages are therefore more desirable for soft robots• A self-sensing and self-healing ...
- New frontier for 3D printing developed state-of-the-art soft materials able to self-healon April 27, 2021 at 9:00 pm
The development of these materials may now be easier, and cheaper, thanks to the use of 3D printing: the researchers in the MP4MNT (Materials and Processing for Micro and Nanotechnologies) team of the ...
- Smart dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 27, 2021 at 7:29 am
Robots that resemble organs are known as soft robots, and in order for them to function they must be made of a flexible material, however a material that can also heal itself would be a bonus if wear ...
- Self-Healing Material Inspired by X-Men’s Wolverineon April 25, 2021 at 5:00 pm
A cross-university group of scientists was inspired by the self-healing capability of the X-Men comic and film character Wolverine to develop an electrically charged material with a similar ...
- Self healing Materials Market Classification, Opportunities, Types and Applications, Status and Forecast 2021 to 2026on April 24, 2021 at 8:34 am
According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the global self-healing materials market is anticipated ...
- Global Self-Healing Materials Market Size, Share to Expand At 95% CAGR Through 2025 - Industry Analysison April 20, 2021 at 3:37 am
Apr 20, 2021 (Market Insight Reports) -- Selbyville, Delaware. The report Self-Healing Materials Market Size and Analysis maintains enhanced dynamics and is overshadowed by a top player across the ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Self-healing material
The Latest Bing News on:
Self-healing polymers
- Researchers develop dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 28, 2021 at 9:05 pm
Robots that resemble organs are known as soft robots, and in order for them to function they must be made of a flexible material, however a material that can also heal itself would be a bonus if wear ...
- Dynamics and healing behavior of metallosupramolecular polymerson April 28, 2021 at 1:25 pm
See allHide authors and affiliations Self-healing or healable polymers can recuperate their function after physical damage. This process involves diffusion of macromolecules across severed interfaces ...
- University of Warwick: Smart dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 27, 2021 at 9:11 pm
Soft robots must be made of a flexible and damage-tolerant material to avoid tearing• Materials that can self-heal damages are therefore more desirable for soft robots• A self-sensing and self-healing ...
- Smart dielectric elastomers for self-healing soft robotson April 27, 2021 at 7:29 am
Robots that resemble organs are known as soft robots, and in order for them to function they must be made of a flexible material, however a material that can also heal itself would be a bonus if wear ...
- Self-Healing Material Inspired by X-Men’s Wolverineon April 25, 2021 at 5:00 pm
Normally, self-healing polymers make use of non-covalent bonds, which is problematic because those bonds are affected by electrochemical reactions that degrade the performance of the materials, ...
- Self healing Materials Market Classification, Opportunities, Types and Applications, Status and Forecast 2021 to 2026on April 24, 2021 at 8:34 am
According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the global self-healing materials market is anticipated ...
- Polymer-Eating Enzymes Make “Biodegradable” Plastics Truly Compostableon April 23, 2021 at 6:22 am
Polymer-eating enzymes embedded in plastic allow programmed degradation. Biodegradable plastics have been advertised as one solution to the plastic pollution problem bedeviling the world, but today’s ...
- Convergent synthesis of diversified reversible network leads to liquid metal-containing conductive hydrogel adhesiveson April 23, 2021 at 2:55 am
The need for multifunctional materials for tissue engineering applications requires the development of multicomponent systems. Here, the authors report on the creation of a liquid metal-containing ...
- Near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for a bioinert polymer film at a water interfaceon April 22, 2021 at 4:39 am
Poly[oligo(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) methacrylate] (P[O(Ox)nMA]) was mixed into a thin film of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to construct a bioinert polymer surface in water. Near-ambient pressure X-ray ...
- Growth Opportunities in Self-Healing and Anti-Microbial Coatings, Q4 2020 Report - ResearchAndMarkets.comon April 20, 2021 at 1:41 am
The “Growth Opportunities in Self-Healing and Anti-Microbial Coatings” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. This edition of the Advanced Coating & Surface Technology Opportunity ...
