Self-healing polyurethane based on ditelluride bonds

Ditelluride bonds have been reported as dynamic covalent bonds which could undergo reversible formation and cleavage at room-temperature. In this work, a novel self-healing ditelluride-containing polyurethane was synthesized by incorporating ditelluride bond into its main chain. Base on the dynamic nature of ditelluride bonds, this polyurethane could self-heal in darkness at room temperature without external intervention. The study on the exchange mechanism revealed that the reversible exchange of ditelluride bonds and the intermolecular hydrogen bonding were the two main factors that responsible for the self-healing behavior of this polyurethane. The ditelluride content and chain mobility of the polymer have a significant effect on its self-healing property. The unique non-intervention self-healing properties and wild applicability makes this polymers ideal for environment friendly smart systems.