Micromechanical behavior of self-healing epoxy and hardener-loaded microcapsules by nanoindentation

Jim Lee, Mingqiu Zhang, Debes Bhattacharyya, Yan Chao Yuan, Krishnan Jayaraman, Yiu Wing Mai

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

77 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Nanoindentation is a widely used method for measuring the micromechanical properties of thin films and micro scale materials. Self-healing polymeric materials have the built-in capability to substantially recover their load transferring ability after damage. One of the main self-healing strategies incorporates microencapsulated healing agents within a polymer matrix to produce a polymer composite capable of self-healing. In this study, microcapsules containing, respectively, epoxy (resin) and mercaptan (hardener) were investigated with poly (melamine-formaldehyde) (PMF) as the shell material. The micromechanical behavior of microcapsules was tested using nanoindentation. The results show that the PMF shell material behaves as a viscoelastic plastic material. The modulus and hardness of the microcapsules were determined quantitatively. The size and loaded-component of microcapsules (i.e., hardener or resin) have a significant effect on the micromechanical properties of the microcapsules.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)62-65
Number of pages4
JournalMaterials Letters
Volume76
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biomimetic
  • Elastic properties
  • Functional
  • Indentation
  • Polymers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

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