Premium
Robust Self‐Healing Host–Guest Gels from Magnetocaloric Radical Polymerization
Author(s) -
Yu Chao,
Wang CaiFeng,
Chen Su
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201302058
Subject(s) - magnetic refrigeration , materials science , supramolecular chemistry , self healing , polymerization , nanotechnology , host (biology) , self healing hydrogels , magnetic field , composite material , polymer chemistry , molecule , polymer , organic chemistry , magnetization , chemistry , medicine , ecology , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , quantum mechanics , biology
Given the increasing environmental and energy issues, materials with the ability to repair themselves following damage are highly desirable because this self‐healing property can prolong the lifespan of materials and reduce replacement costs. Host–guest assemblies are a powerful approach to create supramolecular materials with versatile functions. Here, a new mode of radical polymerization is demonstrated which is achieved via magnetocaloric effect to fabricate novel host–guest supramolecular gels within 5 min. The resulting gels can repair themselves spontaneously when damaged, without the assistance of any external stimuli, and possess great mechanical strength. Moreover, the Fe 3 O 4 ‐doped supramolecular gels show accelerated self‐healing (from 24 h to 3 h) under an applied magnetic field, which is attributed to the synergy between host–guest healing and a magnetocaloric effect. This strategy might open a promising avenue for accelerating the use of host–guest assemblies to rapidly build robust materials.