The Self-Healing Potential of Triazole-Pyridine-Based Metallopolymers

The development of artificial self-healing materials represents an emerging and challenging field in material science. Inspired by naturefor instance by the self-healing of mussel byssus threadsmetallopolymers gain more and more attention as attractive self-healing materials. These compounds are able to combine the properties of both polymers and metal-ligand interactions. A novel metallopolymer is developed consisting of attached bidentate triazole-pyridine (TRZ-py) ligands and a low glass transition temperature (T-g) lauryl methacrylate backbone. The polymer is cross-linked with different Fe(II) and Co(II) salts. The resulting materials exhibit promising self-healing performance within time intervals of 5.5 to 26.5 h at moderate temperatures of 50 to 100 degrees C. The materials are characterized by X-ray scattering (SAXS), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and light microscopy.