Development of Self-Healing Structural Composite Materials

摘要

Thermosetting polymers, used in a wide variety of applications ranging from microelectronics to composite airplane wings, are susceptible to damage in the form of cracking. Often these cracks form deep within the structure where detection is difficult and repair is virtually impossible. Regardless of the application, once cracks have formed within polymeric materials, the integrity of the structure is significantly compromised. Inspired by biological systems in which damage triggers a healing response, this project focuses on the development of a new structural polymeric material with the ability to autonomically heal cracks. This work will lead to safer and more reliable materials in a wide range of applications and represents the first step in developing materials systems that possess greatly extended lifetimes.