Design, preparation and properties of microcapsules containing rejuvenator for asphalt

In order to repair the cracks that were caused by the vehicle load and natural environment in the asphalt pavement, a microcapsule containing urea-formaldehyde resin as a core material based on an in situ polymerization method was proposed and prepared for use in self-healing materials. When a crack ruptured the microcapsules, it would lead to a release of the healing agent so that the damaged portions can be coalesced. The shell thickness and shell density increased by adding more prepolymer in the fabrication process. The optimum synthetic conditions were carefully explored to study the microcapsule properties. The thermal stability results indicated that the decomposition temperatures of the microcapsule samples were higher than the melting temperature of asphalt. The healing efficiency was improved by the optimal dosage of microcapsule 38.67%. We conclude that the microcapsules affected the cracks in the asphalt pavement, which would save on maintenance costs and improve the performance of asphalt pavement.