The strongest ever! Self-healing elastomer with an adhesion force of up to 4132 N/m.

2026-01-14

Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an autonomous self-healing elastomer with an adhesion strength of up to 4132 N/m through a simple polymer blending process. The breakthroughs in its performance are detailed below:

Core Performance Indicators

Adhesion Strength:

Clean aluminum surface: 4132 N/m (a record-breaking value).

Contaminated aluminum surface (with sand): 3488 N/m (still far exceeding the bond strength of biological tissues like tendons and cartilage, which is approximately 800 N/m).

Mechanical Properties:

Elongation at break: >2100%

Toughness: $1.73 \text{ MJ/m}^3$ $1.73 \text{ MJ/m}^3$ $1.73 \text{ MJ/m}^3$

Self-Healing Capability:

Fully autonomous self-healing at room temperature, unaffected by water or aquatic environments.

Material Design and Preparation Method

1. Synthesis of Self-Healing Component

The polymer Poly(2-(((butylamino)carbonyl)oxy)ethyl acrylate), or Poly(BCOE), was synthesized via free-radical polymerization. Its structural characteristics include:

Low glass transition temperature ( $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ $T_g = -3^\circ\text{C}$ ): Ensures high chain mobility.

Amide groups in side chains: Facilitates self-healing through hydrogen bonding interactions.

High-elastic state: Provides the material with excellent stretchability.

2. Preparation of Autonomous Self-Healing High-Adhesion Elastomers (ASHA-Elastomers)

Blending: A curable liquid silicone-based precursor is blended with Poly(BCOE) in ratios ranging from 9:1 to 5:5.

Curing: After curing at $30^\circ\text{C}$ $30^\circ\text{C}$ $30^\circ\text{C}$ , the liquid silicone precursor forms a strong physical contact with the rough grooves of the substrate (e.g., aluminum).

Mechanism: Poly(BCOE) provides self-healing properties via inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds. Higher Poly(BCOE) content increases healing capacity but slightly reduces adhesion.

Environmental Resistance: Hydrophobic alkyl side chains and the silicone backbone allow the material to maintain its self-healing ability even in the presence of water.

Mechanism for Adhesion on Contaminated Surfaces

The Sand Encapsulation Effect: Because the silicone precursor is initially liquid and the Poly(BCOE) molecular chains respond rapidly, the material can completely encapsulate sand particles. This encapsulation restores effective contact with the substrate interface, thereby maintaining high adhesion even on "dirty" surfaces.

Application Value and Scientific Significance

Application Fields:

Sealants, adhesives, and stretchable devices (such as wearable electronic sensors).

Artificial skin and flexible electronics requiring long-term, tight interfacial contact.

Scientific Breakthrough:

This is the first time that self-healing, high mechanical performance, and ultra-strong adhesion have been achieved simultaneously through a simple blending method.

The adhesion strength significantly exceeds existing materials (for instance, common quadruple hydrogen-bonded structures in literature often show adhesion strengths $<1 \text{ N/m}$ $<1 \text{ N/m}$ $<1 \text{ N/m}$ ).

Research Team and Publication

Corresponding Authors: Prof. Tomonori Saito, Dr. Diana Hun, and Dr. Pengfei Cao (Oak Ridge National Laboratory).

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials.

Full Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202006298

This research offers a new paradigm for developing functional materials capable of meeting the rigorous demands of the automotive, construction, and flexible electronics industries.

Disclaimer: This news information is sourced from the internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us for removal. cn@totustec.com

Keywords：

Next —

Unlocking the Potential of UV Resin LCD 3D Printers for Creative Projects

Related News