Self-Healing via “Click” Chemistry
The economic and environmental consequences of material deterioration are key factors driving the development of a more sustainable world. Accordingly, the search for strategies to compensate materials’ fatigue and extend their durability has increased dramatically in the past years. One of the most studied fields is self-healing materials, where embedded latent chemistry or intrinsic bonding are used to restore properties upon damage. In this talk, I will present different approaches for self-healing materials using “click” reactions as one of their pillars. Click reactions offer an optimal chemistry as they typically provide efficient and selective bond-forming transformations. The first self-healing approach is based on encapsulation of Cu(I) catalyzed azide alkyne (CuAAC) reagents as the healing material in a composite matrix. Next, crosslinked hydrogels will be discussed in which dynamic covalent bonding is used as healing agents. These studies highlight some of the recent efforts on using self-healing towards the development of smarter materials which can also be more sustainable.