A self-healing poly(dimethyl siloxane) elastomer

Self-healing functionality is imparted to a poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) elastomer. This new material is produced by the incorporation of a microencapsulated PDMS resin and a microencapsulated crosslinker into the PDMS matrix. A protocol based on the recovery of tear strength is introduced to assess the healing efficiency for these compliant polymers. While most PDMS elastomers possess some ability to re-mend through surface cohesion, the mechanism is generally insufficient to produce significant recovery of initial material strength under ambient conditions. Self-healing PDMS specimens, however, routinely recover between 70-100% of the original tear strength. Moreover, the addition of microcapsules increases the tear strength of the PDMS. The effect of microcapsule concentration on healing efficiency is also investigated.