DOI: 10.1126/science.1065879 ISSN:
A Thermally Re-mendable Cross-Linked Polymeric Material
Xiangxu Chen, Matheus A. Dam, Kanji Ono, Ajit Mal, Hongbin Shen, Steven R. Nutt, Kevin Sheran, Fred Wudl- Multidisciplinary
We have developed a transparent organic polymeric material that can repeatedly mend or “re-mend” itself under mild conditions. The material is a tough solid at room temperature and below with mechanical properties equaling those of commercial epoxy resins. At temperatures above 120°C, approximately 30% (as determined by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) of “intermonomer” linkages disconnect but then reconnect upon cooling, This process is fully reversible and can be used to restore a fractured part of the polymer multiple times, and it does not require additional ingredients such as a catalyst, additional monomer, or special surface treatment of the fractured interface.