Abstract
In this work, we prepared electrically conductive self-healing nanocomposites. The material consists of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) that are dispersed into thermally reversible crosslinked polyketones. The reversible nature is based on both covalent (Diels-Alder) and non-covalent (hydrogen bonding) interactions. The design allowed for us to tune the thermomechanical properties of the system by changing the fractions of filler, and diene-dienophile and hydroxyl groups. The nanocomposites show up to 1 × 104 S/m electrical conductivity, reaching temperatures between 120 and 150 °C under 20–50 V. The self-healing effect, induced by electricity was qualitatively demonstrated as microcracks were repaired. As pointed out by electron microscopy, samples that were already healed by electricity showed a better dispersion of MWCNT within the polymer. These features point toward prolonging the service life of polymer nanocomposites, improving the product performance, making it effectively stronger and more reliable.
Highlights
Self-healing thermoset polymer materials represent an outstanding approach and cost-effective solution for non-recyclable thermoset applications [1]
In a previously reported work, we have demonstrated the electrical-conductivity of a composite material consisting of a polyketone functionalized with furan groups, cross-linked with bismaleimide, and reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) [42]
We have demonstrated the design and development of thermoset polymer nanocomposites showing tunable mechanical, electrical, and self-healing properties
Summary
Self-healing thermoset polymer materials represent an outstanding approach and cost-effective solution for non-recyclable thermoset applications [1]. These materials possess the remarkable ability of being mended, which prolongs their service life [2]. Microcracks on the material can be repaired based on such reversible features [3,4]. Such a healing effect can be triggered by heat [5,6,7,8] or light [9,10,11,12,13].
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