Creep-Resistant Covalent Adaptable Networks with Excellent Self-Healing and Reprocessing Performance via Phase-Locked Dynamic Covalent Benzopyrazole-Urea Bonds

Abstract

Covalent adaptive networks (CANs) are capable of undergoing segment rearrangement after being heated, which endows the materials with excellent self-healing and reprocessing performance, providing an efficient solution to the environment pollution caused by the plastic wastes. The main challenge remains in developing CANs with both excellent reprocessing performance and creep-resistance property. In this study, a series of CANs containing dynamic covalent benzopyrazole-urea bonds were developed based on the addition reaction between benzopyrazole and isocyanate groups. DFT calculation confirmed that relatively low dissociation energy is obtained through undergoing a five-member ring transition state, confirming excellent dynamic property of the benzopyrazole-urea bonds. As verified by the FTIR results, this nice dynamic property can be well maintained after incorporating the benzopyrazole-urea bonds into polymer networks. Excellent self-healing and reprocessing performance is observed by the 3-ABP/PDMS elastomers owing to the dynamic benzopyrazole-urea bonds. Phase separation induced by the aggregation of the hard segments locked the benzopyrazole-urea bonds, which also makes the elastomers display excellent creep-resistance performance. This hard phase locking strategy provides an efficient approach to design CANs materials with both excellent reprocessing and creep-resistance performance.