{"id":{"repo_id":"bournemouth","oai_identifier":"oai:eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk:40476"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/bournemouth/oai:eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk:40476","repository":{"repo_id":"bournemouth","name":"University of Bournemouth","base_url":"http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/cgi/oai2"},"display":{"title":"Enhancing Self-Healing Properties of Polymeric Nanocomposites through Surface Modification of Van der Waals 2D Materials: Exploring Beyond Graphene","abstract":"Engineering materials are designed to meet the demand for improved mechanical properties, including necessary fatigue resistance, fracture toughness and ability to withstand the mechanical damage inﬂicted during constant loading and unloading of stresses under the application. Nevertheless, microcracks and other structural defects can still be formed under the inﬂuence of external factors involved in their operation. In this work, surface-modiﬁed Van der Waals 2D materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and MXene have been incorporated as nanoﬁllers in polymer matrices to enhance their self-healing capabilities. The surface modiﬁcation of these 2D materials with suitable functional chain ends is achieved and the resulting nanosheets possess the ability to chemically bond with the polymer matrix and actively participate in the healing chemistry. The thesis begins with a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in 2D materials-based self- healing polymeric composites and their applications, highlighting the fabrication techniques, methods for characterization and mechanics of bonding. The subsequent chapters focus on synthesizing and characterizing surface-functionalized hBN and WS2 along with their possible integration into different model polymer matrices. The inﬂuence of different parameters, such as ﬁller loading, surface functionalization, and polymer matrix composition, on the resulting nanocomposites' self-healing efficiency and mechanical properties has been investigated. The developed polymer nanocomposites' healing mechanisms and the nanosheets' functionalization mechanisms are elucidated through detailed microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. The role of interfacial interactions between the 2D nanoﬁllers and polymer matrices in facilitating an efficient healing process was investigated, and novel strategies for optimizing the healing performance were proposed such as alignment of nanosheets. Mechanical testing of the nanocomposites shows signiﬁcant improvement in the healing and mechanical properties of surface-modiﬁed 2D materials due to enhanced adhesion with the polymer matrix. Further, the detrimental effects of nanosheet agglomeration, the lateral size of the nanoﬁllers, and functional group loading on the nanosheets are also studied. The incorporation of 2D nanosheets into the polymers also gives valuable insights into the molecular interactions occurring during the functionalization of nanosheets and the healing of nanocomposites. The results presented in this thesis contribute to the development of novel materials with enhanced mechanical properties and extended lifespan, opening up new avenues for applications in diverse ﬁelds such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering.","abstract_html":"Engineering materials are designed to meet the demand for improved mechanical properties, including necessary fatigue resistance, fracture toughness and ability to withstand the mechanical damage inﬂicted during constant loading and unloading of stresses under the application. Nevertheless, microcracks and other structural defects can still be formed under the inﬂuence of external factors involved in their operation. In this work, surface-modiﬁed Van der Waals 2D materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and MXene have been incorporated as nanoﬁllers in polymer matrices to enhance their self-healing capabilities. The surface modiﬁcation of these 2D materials with suitable functional chain ends is achieved and the resulting nanosheets possess the ability to chemically bond with the polymer matrix and actively participate in the healing chemistry. The thesis begins with a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in 2D materials-based self- healing polymeric composites and their applications, highlighting the fabrication techniques, methods for characterization and mechanics of bonding. The subsequent chapters focus on synthesizing and characterizing surface-functionalized hBN and WS2 along with their possible integration into different model polymer matrices. The inﬂuence of different parameters, such as ﬁller loading, surface functionalization, and polymer matrix composition, on the resulting nanocomposites&#x27; self-healing efficiency and mechanical properties has been investigated. The developed polymer nanocomposites&#x27; healing mechanisms and the nanosheets&#x27; functionalization mechanisms are elucidated through detailed microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. The role of interfacial interactions between the 2D nanoﬁllers and polymer matrices in facilitating an efficient healing process was investigated, and novel strategies for optimizing the healing performance were proposed such as alignment of nanosheets. Mechanical testing of the nanocomposites shows signiﬁcant improvement in the healing and mechanical properties of surface-modiﬁed 2D materials due to enhanced adhesion with the polymer matrix. Further, the detrimental effects of nanosheet agglomeration, the lateral size of the nanoﬁllers, and functional group loading on the nanosheets are also studied. The incorporation of 2D nanosheets into the polymers also gives valuable insights into the molecular interactions occurring during the functionalization of nanosheets and the healing of nanocomposites. The results presented in this thesis contribute to the development of novel materials with enhanced mechanical properties and extended lifespan, opening up new avenues for applications in diverse ﬁelds such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ratwani, Chirag Rajeshkumar"],"institution":"Bournemouth University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-09","date_published":"2024-09","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:12:54Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ratwani, Chirag Rajeshkumar"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2024-09-25"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024-09"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Faculty of Science and Technology"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["Bournemouth University"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/40476/"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["doctoral"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights.embargodate","label":"Dc Rights Embargodate","values":["2026-10-01"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/40476/1/RATWANI%2C%20Chirag%20Rajeshkumar_Ph.D._2024.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Engineering materials are designed to meet the demand for improved mechanical properties, including necessary fatigue resistance, fracture toughness and ability to withstand the mechanical damage inﬂicted during constant loading and unloading of stresses under the application. Nevertheless, microcracks and other structural defects can still be formed under the inﬂuence of external factors involved in their operation. In this work, surface-modiﬁed Van der Waals 2D materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and MXene have been incorporated as nanoﬁllers in polymer matrices to enhance their self-healing capabilities. The surface modiﬁcation of these 2D materials with suitable functional chain ends is achieved and the resulting nanosheets possess the ability to chemically bond with the polymer matrix and actively participate in the healing chemistry. The thesis begins with a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in 2D materials-based self- healing polymeric composites and their applications, highlighting the fabrication techniques, methods for characterization and mechanics of bonding. The subsequent chapters focus on synthesizing and characterizing surface-functionalized hBN and WS2 along with their possible integration into different model polymer matrices. The inﬂuence of different parameters, such as ﬁller loading, surface functionalization, and polymer matrix composition, on the resulting nanocomposites' self-healing efficiency and mechanical properties has been investigated. The developed polymer nanocomposites' healing mechanisms and the nanosheets' functionalization mechanisms are elucidated through detailed microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. The role of interfacial interactions between the 2D nanoﬁllers and polymer matrices in facilitating an efficient healing process was investigated, and novel strategies for optimizing the healing performance were proposed such as alignment of nanosheets. Mechanical testing of the nanocomposites shows signiﬁcant improvement in the healing and mechanical properties of surface-modiﬁed 2D materials due to enhanced adhesion with the polymer matrix. Further, the detrimental effects of nanosheet agglomeration, the lateral size of the nanoﬁllers, and functional group loading on the nanosheets are also studied. The incorporation of 2D nanosheets into the polymers also gives valuable insights into the molecular interactions occurring during the functionalization of nanosheets and the healing of nanocomposites. The results presented in this thesis contribute to the development of novel materials with enhanced mechanical properties and extended lifespan, opening up new avenues for applications in diverse ﬁelds such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Enhancing Self-Healing Properties of Polymeric Nanocomposites through Surface Modification of Van der Waals 2D Materials: Exploring Beyond Graphene"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Ratwani, Chirag Rajeshkumar"],"dc:date":["2024-09-25"],"dc:date.issued":["2024-09"],"dc:description.abstract":["Engineering materials are designed to meet the demand for improved mechanical properties, including necessary fatigue resistance, fracture toughness and ability to withstand the mechanical damage inﬂicted during constant loading and unloading of stresses under the application. Nevertheless, microcracks and other structural defects can still be formed under the inﬂuence of external factors involved in their operation. In this work, surface-modiﬁed Van der Waals 2D materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and MXene have been incorporated as nanoﬁllers in polymer matrices to enhance their self-healing capabilities. The surface modiﬁcation of these 2D materials with suitable functional chain ends is achieved and the resulting nanosheets possess the ability to chemically bond with the polymer matrix and actively participate in the healing chemistry. The thesis begins with a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in 2D materials-based self- healing polymeric composites and their applications, highlighting the fabrication techniques, methods for characterization and mechanics of bonding. The subsequent chapters focus on synthesizing and characterizing surface-functionalized hBN and WS2 along with their possible integration into different model polymer matrices. The inﬂuence of different parameters, such as ﬁller loading, surface functionalization, and polymer matrix composition, on the resulting nanocomposites' self-healing efficiency and mechanical properties has been investigated. The developed polymer nanocomposites' healing mechanisms and the nanosheets' functionalization mechanisms are elucidated through detailed microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. The role of interfacial interactions between the 2D nanoﬁllers and polymer matrices in facilitating an efficient healing process was investigated, and novel strategies for optimizing the healing performance were proposed such as alignment of nanosheets. Mechanical testing of the nanocomposites shows signiﬁcant improvement in the healing and mechanical properties of surface-modiﬁed 2D materials due to enhanced adhesion with the polymer matrix. Further, the detrimental effects of nanosheet agglomeration, the lateral size of the nanoﬁllers, and functional group loading on the nanosheets are also studied. The incorporation of 2D nanosheets into the polymers also gives valuable insights into the molecular interactions occurring during the functionalization of nanosheets and the healing of nanocomposites. The results presented in this thesis contribute to the development of novel materials with enhanced mechanical properties and extended lifespan, opening up new avenues for applications in diverse ﬁelds such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/40476/1/RATWANI%2C%20Chirag%20Rajeshkumar_Ph.D._2024.pdf"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:publisher.department":["Faculty of Science and Technology"],"dc:publisher.institution":["Bournemouth University"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/40476/"],"dc:rights.embargodate":["2026-10-01"],"dc:title":["Enhancing Self-Healing Properties of Polymeric Nanocomposites through Surface Modification of Van der Waals 2D Materials: Exploring Beyond Graphene"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["doctoral"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:12:54Z"}