Microfluidic Fabrication of Self-Healing Microfibers for Composite Construction Materials

本计画的研究目的是制备自愈合微纤维，并探讨其形状与尺寸对其自愈合性能的影响。这些微纤维将嵌入到建筑材料中（例如，建议项目中的沥青），以形成自修复复合材料。当这种复合材料产生裂纹时，微纤维将破裂以释放愈合剂，该愈合剂可以自动恢复复合材料的完整性和韧性。将开发新型微流体装置以形成和固化微纤维，其中封装有愈合剂。所提出的自修复微纤维预计甚至在以较低浓度使用时也优于现有的球形微胶囊。该研究项目将提供一个具有独特可控性和灵活性的制造平台。因此，它将使研究人员能够通过采用所提出的微机械建模和实验技术来研究微纤维的形状和尺寸如何影响其自修复性能。本项目的成功完成，将为我国未来的自愈系统的设计和实施提供指导。我们的目标是采用更耐用的建筑材料，以提供更安全和更可持续的交通基础设施系统。拟议中的研究有望使从微电子设备到航天器、桥梁和其他大型基础设施的工程结构受益。它可以通过提高性能和降低成本来促进自修复材料的商业化和广泛应用。研究结果将通过出版物广泛传播，以激发进一步的研究，并刺激未来在自愈材料方面的跨学科合作。还计划为包括少数民族学生和女生在内的各种学生群体开展教育和外联活动，如大学生创业和暑期青年方案。

The research objective of this project is to fabricate self-healing microfibers and investigate the impact of their shape and size on their self-healing performance. These microfibers will be embedded into construction material (e.g., asphalt in the proposed project) to form a self-healing composite. When this composite develops a crack, the microfibers will be ruptured to release healing agents that can automatically restore the integrity and toughness of the composite. Novel microfluidic devices will be developed to form and solidify microfibers with healing agents encapsulated in them. The proposed self-healing microfibers are expected to outperform existing spherical microcapsules even when used in lower concentrations. The research project will provide a fabrication platform with unique controllability and flexibility. Therefore, it will enable the researchers to investigate how the shape and size of the microfibers affect their self-healing performance by employing the proposed micromechanical modeling and experimental techniques. As a result, a guideline will be provided for the design and implementation of future self-healing systems.Successful completion of this project will contribute to the nation?s goal of employing more durable construction material so as to provide safer and more sustainable transportation infrastructure systems. The proposed research holds the promise to benefit engineering structures ranging from microelectronic devices to spacecraft, bridges, and other large infrastructures. It can potentially contribute to the commercialization and broad applications of self-healing materials by improving performance and reducing costs. Research results will be widely disseminated through publications to inspire further investigation and stimulate future interdisciplinary collaboration on self-healing materials. Education and outreach activities, such as undergraduate enterprise and summer youth programs, are also planned for a diverse group of students, including minority and female students.