Introducing
reversible ionic interaction is one of the most effective
methods to achieve self-healing behavior in rubbers. However, the
strength of the rubbers only containing an ionic cross-linking network
is quite limited, and their long-term stability is questionable. In
this work, polar epoxidized natural rubbers (ENR) filled with zinc
dimethacrylate (ZDMA) were vulcanized with a peroxide cure system
to obtain a self-healing material. We controlled vulcanization parameters
to inhibit the formation of covalent cross-linking network and constructed
a network composed of covalent and ionic cross-linking. In the presence
of a slightly covalent cross-linking network, the mobility of rubber
chains is almost unlimited, and the composite exhibits high strength
and stability. The rearrangement of rubber chains is still prone to
occur, which promotes the self-repairing behavior of the rubber and
allows the fully cut sample to undergo proper self-healing at ambient
temperature.
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