Polymer Chemistry for Improved Self -Healing Composite Materials

Polymeric composite materials that are able to undergo self-healing through a microcapsule-based mechanism have been developed. The first successful example of this type of material was based on the ring-opening metathesis polymerization of endo-dicyclopentadiene using Grubbs' catalyst. The work herein describes improvements made to this original material. An improved technology is described which protects and delivers the catalyst within wax microspheres. This technique leads to greatly reduced required loadings of catalyst. Faster polymerizations occur when the original endo-dicyclopentadiene is replaced with exo-dicyclopentadiene. The mechanistic reason for this difference in reactivity is examined. An alternative catalyst system based on WCl6, phenylacetylene, and nonylphenol has also been developed. In addition to these microcapsule-based materials, work toward self-healing based on stress-activation of polymerization is described. As a prerequisite to developing this technology, demonstration and characterization of polymerization initiated by diradicals from cycloaromatization reactions has been performed. Polymeric materials containing cycloaromatization substrates can be stressed significantly without the observation of significant amounts of cyclization.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemistry

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Rule, Joseph D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Moore, Jeffrey S.

• Plastics Technology

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3199129

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/84200