Mechanically robust, self-reporting and healable polyurethane elastomers by incorporating symmetric/asymmetric chain extenders
Haitao Wu, Hao Wang, Mi Luo, Zhaoyang Yuan, Yiwen Chen, Biqiang Jin, Wenqiang Wu, Bangjiao Ye, Hongjun Zhang, Jinrong Wu
Abstract
). Meanwhile, the loose stacking of disordered hard domains imposed small restriction on network chains and imparted the network with high relaxation dynamics, leading to high healing efficiency (97.8%). More importantly, the fluorescence intensity was stimulus-responsive and thus the PU elastomer could self-report mechanical/chemical damage and healing processes. The PU elastomer also showed potential application prospects in information encoding and encryption. Furthermore, selecting polydimethylsiloxane as one of the soft segments could effectively endow the PU elastomer with intrinsic hydrophobicity. Therefore, this work provides valuable guidance for designing multi-functional materials with anti-counterfeiting, self-reporting, and healing properties as well as high mechanical properties and hydrophobicity.