SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE
Mussel cuticle-mimetic ultra-tough, self-healing elastomers with double-locked nanodomains exhibit fast stimuli-responsive shape transformation†
*acd
Abstract
Developing ultra-tough shape-changing polymeric materials with high fracture energy and self-healing at room temperature is challenging but highly desirable for their expanding applications. Herein, we report mussel cuticle-mimetic MPM elastomers containing rigid double-locked nanodomains stabilized by both hydrophobic interaction and iron–catechol complexation and an inter-nanodomain flexible polymer matrix with a high level of fracture energy of 24 000 J m−2. The MPM elastomers can undergo self-healing at room temperature within 1 hour with a high recovered adhesion energy of 700 J m−2 between the self-sealed MPM films, which is comparable to the adhesion properties of the cartilage/bone interface. Furthermore, these tough and self-healing MPM elastomers are capable of fast and reversible shape changing in response to stimuli and can act as an adhesive and durable strain sensor. The chemical design of MPMs will provide valuable guidance to aid the development of stimuli-responsive, tough and self-healing polymers with a wide array of applications in soft robotics, wearable electronics, and biomedical and tissue engineering.
Please wait while we load your content...
