Self-healing and thermoreversible rubber from supramolecular assembly

Philippe Cordier, François Tournilhac, Corinne Soulié-Ziakovic and Ludwik Leibler ()
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Philippe Cordier: Matière Molle et Chimie, UMR 7167 CNRS-ESPCI, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
François Tournilhac: Matière Molle et Chimie, UMR 7167 CNRS-ESPCI, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
Corinne Soulié-Ziakovic: Matière Molle et Chimie, UMR 7167 CNRS-ESPCI, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France
Ludwik Leibler: Matière Molle et Chimie, UMR 7167 CNRS-ESPCI, Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie Industrielles, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France

Nature, 2008, vol. 451, issue 7181, 977-980

Abstract: Self-mending rubber When a rubber-band breaks, that's it: time to get another one. But a remarkable new material described in this issue behaves rather differently. Consisting of molecules containing three different functional groups that form multiple hydrogen bonds, the molecules associate to form a 'supramolecular rubber' containing both chains and cross-links. The system shows rubber-like behaviour, that is, recoverable extensibility when stretched to several times its original length. In contrast to conventional rubbers made of macromolecules, these systems when broken or cut can self-heal when the fractured surfaces are brought together at room temperature. The new material can be synthesized from simple ingredients — fatty acids and urea — and once synthesized it is readily reprocessed. In its current form supramolecular rubber has slow strain recovery and it 'creeps' under stress, but by adjusting the starting ingredients, a spectrum of properties is attainable.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06669

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