A fast-healing and high-performance metallosupramolecular elastomer based on pyridine-Cu coordination

Elastomers easily undergo a catastrophic failure as soon crack is introduced by mechanical damage. Thus, it extremely important for elastomers to possess fast healing ability, which enables the quick reparation of cracks. However, developing with self-healing ability and high strength highly challenging. Herein, we fabricate metallosupramolecular elastomer facilely introducing pyridine-Cu coordination into copolymer ethyl acrylate vinyl pyridine. Interestingly, has strong photothermal effect, readily increases sample temperature 60°C in 30 s under near-infrared light. At this temperature, sticky reptation modes are activated thus serve driving force network reorganization elastomer. Albeit tensile 10 MPa, scratched completely fractured samples can be healed within 2 min 3 h, respectively. Moreover, during damage processes, break reformation bonds tracked through laser confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy. This provides microscopic methodology monitor bond-level kinetics polymers.