Cure behavior and mechanical properties of structural self-healing epoxy resins

Advances in the growing use of polymer composites in aerospace applications explore the possibility in the development of smart materials capable of self-repair. In this article, we have formulated and characterized a multifunctional autonomically healing composite inspired by the design of White et al. Microcapsules containing dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and powders of Grubbs first generation catalyst were embedded in an epoxy formulation and both the epoxy precursor and the composite were cured up to the temperature of 120 °C that preserves the activity of the catalyst. The results on the cure behavior of an epoxy matrix for self-healing material and the influence of the components related to self-healing function on the dynamic-mechanical properties are investigated. The presence of catalyst powder causes a slight decrease in the elastic modulus value with respect to the epoxy matrix. At variance, a large recovery in this parameter is gained for the self-healing specimen, proving that well-distributed microcapsules contribute to improve the mechanical properties.