Intrinsic self-healing materials gained a lot of interest in recent years. The self-healing process in these materials requires often reversible bonds. Besides reversible supramolecular systems also reversible covalent bonds have been applied. The prime example of reversible covalent bonds is the Diels-Alder reaction (DA). Upon heating the retro-Diels-alder reaction occurs providing the required mobility for a healing process (Figure 1, bottom). Most of the utilized DA systems are either based on linear polymers with low molar mass crosslinkers or on multifunctional monomers.  Figure 1: Schematic representation of self-healing polymers based on �dynamers� (top) and on retro-Diels-Alder systems.  In this context a one-component system (i.e. linear polymer featuring both DA moieties � furan and maleimide) was developed. Coatings based on these systems show a healing efficiency of up to 100% within a few minutes. Additionally a dynamic crosslinker based on acylhydrazones (Figure 1, top) was applied (linear systems have been pioneered by J.-M. Lehn for dynamers). The introduction of these dynamic covalent bonds into polymeric networks leads also to a self-healing ability of such polymer films (and bulk material). Self-healing materials based on both systems will be presented and the influence of the polymer structure and possibilities to tune the self-healing process will be discussed.

Self-healing materials based on reversible covalent bonds � one component Diels-Alder systems to dynamers

248th National Meeting (2014)

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