Self-Healing Photochromic Polymeric Coatings

研究目的和方法本研究是关于新一代聚合物材料的开发，该材料在机械损伤时在受损区域发生着色，但暴露于电磁辐射、酸性蒸汽和/或升高的温度将导致受损区域的自我修复和原始颜色的再生。拟议研究的目标有三个方面：（1）开发一种能够传感和自我修复的新材料平台，（2）了解分子和宏观过程，导致颜色诱导的自我修复过程中协调的化学和机械变化，以及（3）将导致快速创新的性能和设计优化。这项研究的方法将是精确地合成和设计具有光致变色组分和可变共聚物组合物的新一代聚合物材料，这些组合物提供这些很少获得的先进性能。使用分子和热机械探针的组合，我们将开发导致自我修复的过程的基本理解。结合化学成像、可控损伤评估以及对受损和修复区域的热和粘弹性属性的空间分布的分析，将使我们能够充分阐明导致这种独特行为的分子和宏观事件之间的关系。以及延长材料原始完整性的寿命，这将彻底改变社会需求。这些将包括内置分子传感器的复合材料结构，允许早期评估和预防航空航天工业中潜在的灾难性事件，早期检测腐蚀和退化过程，机械可变设备的工程设计等。我们设想这些刺激响应自修复材料将在制药，医疗，个人护理，电子，能源和相关行业中发挥至关重要的作用。如果成功，将通过“绿色”化学方法建立一种新的技术范式，对环境的影响最小或没有影响，创造可持续的材料方法来解决关键的技术挑战。拟议研究对社会的另一个好处是发展受过高等教育的劳动力，这些劳动力将应对科学和技术挑战，从而增强美国的技术优势。

Research Objective and ApproachThis research is about the development of a new generation of polymeric materials that upon mechanical damage undergo coloration in a damaged area, but exposure to electromagnetic radiation, acidic vapors, and/or elevated temperatures will result in self-repair of the damaged area and revitalization of the original color. The objectives of the proposed research are three fold: (1) development of a new platform of materials capable of sensing and self-healing, (2) understanding of molecular and macroscopic processes leading to orchestrated chemical and mechanical changes during color-induced self-repairs, and (3) property and design optimization that will lead to rapid innovation. The approach of this research will be to precisely synthesize and engineer a new generation of polymeric materials with photochromic components and variable copolymer compositions that offer these rarely obtainable advanced properties. Using a combination of molecular and thermo-mechanical probes we will develop fundamental understanding of processes leading to self-healing. Combining chemical imaging, controllable damage assessment, and analysis of spatial distribution of thermal and viscoelastic attributes of damaged and repaired areas will allow us to fully elucidate the relationship between molecular and macroscopic events responsible for this unique behavior.Benefits to SocietyIf successful, the benefits of this research will include many unique applications ranging from multi-level sensing devices to "smart" coatings, and extended lifetimes of materials' original integrity that will revolutionize societal desires. These will include composite structures with build-in molecular sensors, allowing early assessment and prevention of potentially catastrophic events in airspace industries, early detection of corrosion and degradation processes, engineering of mechano-mutable devices, and many others. We envision that these stimuli-responsive self-repairing materials will play a vital role in the pharmaceutical, medical, personal care, electronic, energy, and related industries. If successful, a new technological paradigm through "green" chemistry approaches, with minimal or no impact on the environment creating sustainable material approaches to solve critical technological challenges, will be established. Another benefit to the society of the proposed research will be the development of the highly educated workforce that will tackle scientific and technological challenges leading to the enhancement of US technological superiority.