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Autonomous self-healing structural composites with bio-inspired design.

ABSTRACT: Strong and tough natural composites such as bone, silk or nacre are often built from stiff blocks bound together using thin interfacial soft layers that can also provide sacrificial bonds for self-repair. Here we show that it is possible exploit this design in order to create self-healing structural composites by using thin supramolecular polymer interfaces between ceramic blocks. We have built model brick-and-mortar structures with ceramic contents above 95 vol% that exhibit strengths of the order of MPa (three orders of magnitude higher than the interfacial polymer) and fracture energies that are two orders of magnitude higher than those of the glass bricks. More importantly, these properties can be fully recovered after fracture without using external stimuli or delivering healing agents. This approach demonstrates a very promising route towards the design of strong, ideal self-healing materials able to self-repair repeatedly without degradation or external stimuli.

SUBMITTER: D'Elia E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4857079 | biostudies-other | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Autonomous self-healing structural composites with bio-inspired design.

D'Elia Eleonora E Eslava Salvador S Miranda Miriam M Georgiou Theoni K TK Saiz Eduardo E

Scientific reports 20160505

Strong and tough natural composites such as bone, silk or nacre are often built from stiff blocks bound together using thin interfacial soft layers that can also provide sacrificial bonds for self-repair. Here we show that it is possible exploit this design in order to create self-healing structural composites by using thin supramolecular polymer interfaces between ceramic blocks. We have built model brick-and-mortar structures with ceramic contents above 95 vol% that exhibit strengths of the or ...[more]

PMID: 27146382

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Project description:Ceramic materials possessing the properties of high-strength and rigidity are widely used in industry. The shell nacre has a layered structure containing both macroscopic and microscopic levels and is equipped with superior qualities regarding hardness and strength. Therefore, the ceramic composites with a nacre-like layered structure have the potential to be utilized as sliding bearings employed in the harsh conditions of wells. For the purpose of this paper, a porous Al?O? ceramics skeleton with nanometer powder is prepared using the freeze-casting method. Then the porous ceramic skeleton is filled with polymer polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) through mass polymerization to produce a bionic Al?O?/PMMA composite with a lamellar structure. The properties of the prepared composite are determined by the analysis of micro-hardness, fracture toughness, friction coefficient, wear scar diameter, and the morphology of the worn surface. Consequent results indicate that elevation in the A1?O? powder, which acts as the initial solid phase content, prompts the ceramic slurry to exhibit an increase in viscosity and a gradual decrease in the pore size of the ceramic skeleton. The prepared layered Al?O?/PMMA composite possesses high fracture toughness, which closely resembles that of Al, is approximately four times that of the matrix of the Al?O? ceramics and 16 times that of the PMMA. Three kinds of composites containing different solid phase content are subjected to testing involving lubrication by water-based drilling fluid to determine the friction coefficient of each. The results indicate that an increased load leads to a decreased friction coefficient while the impact of speed is not evident. Under dry conditions, the friction coefficient of three different composites tested, declines with elevated load and speed. With the use of water-based drilling fluid as lubrication, the wear scar diameter increases at higher speed, while dry conditions denote increased load. Abrasive wear is determined to be the principal form of erosion of layered Al?O?/PMMA composites.

Dataset Information

Autonomous self-healing structural composites with bio-inspired design.

Publications

Autonomous self-healing structural composites with bio-inspired design.

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