Multifunctional materials would alleviate longstanding problems in composite structures associated with multiple types of damage mechanisms such as mechanical/thermal fatigue, microcracking, and impact. CU Aerospace (CUA) proposes an innovative hybrid self-healing composite consisting of a two-part healing agent that is stored in microcapsules and hollow glass fibers (HGF), which are released whenever the matrix is damaged. The healing agents then mix and flow into the cracks where they polymerize in place, effectively sealing the cracks and allowing the material to recover structural function. Repair of damage is accomplished automatically and without human intervention, improving performance and service-life. The team of CUA and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will develop this self-healing system for epoxy based structural composites. In addition, although epoxy will be the matrix of interest for Phase I, CUA will investigate the possibility of utilizing other self-healing matrix materials including cyanate esters, polyimides, and bismaleimides.
Benefit: Military applications for self-healing polymers are numerous including structural composites, ballistic armor, airframe panels, radomes, UAVs, satellite components, missiles, and cryogenic storage tanks. The impact of this technology is extremely broad and far-reaching in commercial markets such as aircraft and automobile structural composites, microelectronics such as circuit boards, and sporting goods.
Keywords: Composites, Composites, Autonomic, multifunctional materials, Self-Healing, hollow glass fibers, Microcapsules
