Self-healing of a high temperature cured epoxy using poly(dimethylsiloxane) chemistry

A high temperature cured self-healing epoxy is demonstrated by incorporating microcapsules of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) resin and separate microcapsules containing an organotin catalyst. Healing is triggered by crack propagation through the embedded microcapsules in the epoxy matrix, which releases the healing agents into the crack plane initiating crosslinking reactions. A series of tapered double-cantilever beam (TDCB) fracture tests were conducted to measure virgin and healed fracture toughness. Healing efficiencies, based on fracture toughness recovery, ranged from 11 to 51% depending on the molecular weight of PDMS resin, quantity of healing agent delivered, and use of adhesion promoters.