For years, the development of new materials has been inspired by some of the extraordinary features of nature. Velcro, waterproofing of lotus, even trains with the shape of a Kingfisher are some examples in our daily life. Since 2001, one of the properties under increasing study is self-healing. The ability to heal of human skin and some animals has not only inspired science fiction characters but also the development of smart materials with a longer lifetime. In the current environmental context, designing materials with this ability is, without a doubt, an innovative strategy that can contribute to the evolution of a more sustainable society. By their nature, polymers, especially thermosets and elastomers that cannot be easily recycled, have found in this property a second opportunity. This poster presents a compendium of studies carried out with the aim of conferring self-healing capability to different polymeric systems: epoxy resins (thermosets) and natural rubber (NR), epoxidized natural rubber (ENR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) (elastomers). Following extrinsic strategies, involving external healing agents, and intrinsic ones, modifying the chemistry of the materials by including dynamic/reversible bonds, it has been possible to design materials capable of restoring their properties in minutes, even without any external stimuli.

Like human skin: self-healing smart materials

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