Dynamic Covalent and Supramolecular Polymers for Self-Healing, Recycling, and Shape Memory
This community develops polymer networks that use reversible chemical bonds and non-covalent interactions to enable self-healing, recyclability, and shape-memory behavior.
The work centers on designing materials with dynamic covalent bonds, particularly boronic acid and boronic ester linkages, alongside supramolecular interactions like hydrogen bonding and coordination. Key material classes include epoxy vitrimers, polyurethane elastomers, and hydrogels. The research focuses on achieving mechanical robustness, crack tolerance, and reprocessability in thermoset plastics and composites. Applications range from self-healing coatings and adhesives to biomedical devices and recyclable carbon fiber composites. The recurring themes are the synthesis of adaptable networks that can be repaired or reprocessed without losing structural integrity.
Boron research accounts for 40.0% of this community’s output, representing the largest share of boron-related research tracked. Hydrogen research contributes 1.0% of its total output, while carbon research contributes 0.0% of its total output.
The community comprises 4,509 papers, primarily published in Macromolecules, Polymer, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Recent work continues to focus on boronic acid-based biomaterials, vitrimer sustainability, and dynamic linkages for impact-resistant elastomers. Specific recent studies include phenylboronic acid material design, tetraoxadiborolane linkages for self-healing, and requirements for low-temperature self-healing in polymers.