A robust mechanochromic self-healing poly(dimethylsiloxane)elastomer

摘要

Simultaneously introducing mechanochromic and self-healing properties into polymers is almost a field unexplored,and the integration of these capabilities in one material has important theoretical and substantial significance.In this paper,a mechanochromic poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS)elastomer with self-healing ability and superior mechanical properties is first reported.Spiropyran mechanophore and reversible hydrogen bonds are incorporated into the system to realize multi-stimuliinduced color change and self-healing ability,respectively.Upon uniaxial stretching,heating or UV irradiation,the elastomer exhibits a reversible color variation from yellow to purple,which can recover rapidly by white light illumination.Its excellent tensile strength(10.5 MPa)and elongation at break(785%)are distinctive among PDMS elastomers with no fillers.After heat treatment at 60℃for 24 h,the self-healing efficiency of strength can achieve 92.1%.This novel robust PDMS elastomer holds great promise for applications in visualized stress/strain sensing,self-healing biomaterials and wearable devices.