Intrinsic self-healing of covalent polymers through bond reconnection towards strength restoration

Covalent polymers are widely used as structural materials because of their load-bearing capability. Integration of self-healing functionality with covalent polymers would improve stability and durability of the latter in practical engineering usage. This mini-review outlines recent developments in establishing intrinsic self-healing approaches of the materials through inter-macromolecular reactions towards strength recovery for structural application.