Recent advances in self-healing polymer-modified asphalt utilizing dynamic covalent bonds

Abstract

With the rapid economic development in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for durable and high-performance transportation road pavements. Polymer-modified asphalt has gained widespread acceptance due to its ability to enhance driving comfort and extend service life. Nevertheless, the longevity of asphalt pavements is often compromised by long-term traffic loads and harsh weather conditions, leading to cracking and degradation. To tackle this issue, dynamic chemistry introduces a promising solution for self-healing polymer-modified asphalt. By integrating dynamic bonds into the polymers structure, its network becomes adaptable to external triggers such as pressure, temperature, and pH, enabling material self-repair via dynamic healing mechanisms. This paper explores the synthesis methods and structural characteristics of dynamic self-healing polymers, their impact on the self-healing performance of modified asphalt and the classification of dynamic bonds. Additionally, the paper discusses methods for evaluating the self-healing performance and identifies future challenges and research directions for self-healing polymer-modified asphalt materials.