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Abstract
This work is focused on the production of a smart material from cyclic butylene-terephthalate (CBT), characterized by the built-in capability to recover its damage, through the catalyzed ring opening polymerization (ROP) of its oligomers; in particular, molten CBT, after filling the damaged zone, can be converted into poly-butylene terephthalate (PBT), thus promoting a join of the broken surfaces and fixing the crack. To obtain a material with self-healing potential, the production of a partially polymerized system is required. For this purpose, two solutions were studied: the first one involved the use of two catalysts with different activation times, whereas the second solution implied the intercalation of the faster catalyst inside the nanoclay lamellae. Since the intercalation allowed slowing the activation of the catalyst, residual CBT can be converted in a second step. Mechanical properties of partially reacted PBT samples and their healing ability were checked by flexural analyses; in order to promote the healing process, samples were notched to simulate partial damage and left in oven for different times and temperatures, to allow the activation of the unreacted catalyst with the consequent ROP of the residual CBT; flexural tests on samples after healing showed a good recovery of mechanical properties.
Highlights
Nowadays, polymers and composites are widely used in several applications, like automotive, aerospace, sport, electronics, and civil engineering [1]
Polymers and composites are widely used in several applications, like automotive, aerospace, sport, electronics, and civil engineering [1]. These materials present very good properties, they can be damaged during their use for mechanical, chemical, thermal, or UV exposition [2,3]
The ability of a self-healing polymeric material is that of recovering its properties after damage, both autonomously or with a specific stimulus, such as heating or radiation, avoiding external repair and reducing costs and maintenance [9]
Summary
Polymers and composites are widely used in several applications, like automotive, aerospace, sport, electronics, and civil engineering [1] These materials present very good properties, they can be damaged during their use for mechanical, chemical, thermal, or UV exposition [2,3]. Many self-healing techniques, such as molecular interdiffusion [11], thermally reversible crosslinks [12], hollow fiber approach [13], chain rearrangement [14], or microencapsulation [15], are already employed for the recovery of polymers and composites [16,17] These techniques require specific methods to be carried out, which involve difficult implementation in the traditional polymer processes. These approaches for self-healing make use of particular classes of polymers, which have quite a narrow field of application in common polymer technology; generally, thermoset polymers are employed for self-healing, which in turn have a limited series of applications compared to thermoplastics
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