Self-healing elastomers based on conjugated diolefins: a review

Abstract

The formation of microcracks is a common problem in elastomeric materials. The propagation of microcracks to bigger cracks results in the failure of the elastomeric material, which needs to be replaced by a new material, thus creating a huge elastomer waste. The introduction of self-healing property into the elastomeric material is an important way to repair microcracks and to stop the crack propagation process. This review summarizes the progress in self-healing elastomers (polybutadiene rubber, styrene–butadiene rubber, polyisoprene rubber, butyl rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, and silicon rubber) based on conjugated diolefins. The use of various self-healing mechanisms and their effect on the self-healing property as well as reprocessability has been discussed. The challenges and future research opportunities are highlighted.