Nanofibrous Patches For Repairing Cracked Surfaces

Crack repairing aims at reducing crack propagation to maintain the mechanical properties and extend the lifetime of materials. Self-healing materials require the presence of fillers containing healing agents or a material's matrix with an intrinsic healing ability. A "patch-and-heal" strategy is proposed here to repair small cracks on existing materials. First, nanofibrous patches encapsulating photoinitiators or catalysts are fabricated by electrospinning. Then, small cracks are covered with flexible nanofibrous patches containing a photoinitiator or a photocatalyst. After dropping monomers on the patches, a polymer film and a foam are formed rapidly after UV-irradiation or a thermal treatment, respectively. The "patch-and-heal" strategy is therefore a promising concept for repairing small cracks in a rapid and convenient manner.