title: Self-healing gels based on constitutional dynamic chemistry and their potential applications.
abstract: As representative soft materials with widespread applications, gels with various functions have been developed. However, traditional gels are vulnerable to stress-induced formation of cracks. The propagation of these cracks may affect the integrity of network structures of gels, resulting in the loss of functionality and limiting the service life of the gels. To address this challenge, self-healing gels that can restore their functionalities and structures after damage have been developed as "smart" soft materials. In this paper, we present an overview of the current strategies for synthesizing self-healing gels based on the concept of constitutional dynamic chemistry, which involves molecular structures capable of establishing dynamic networks based upon physical interactions or chemical reactions. The characterization methods of self-healing gels and the key factors that affect self-healing properties are analyzed. We also illustrate the emerging applications of self-healing gels, with emphasis on their usage in industry (coatings, sealants) and biomedicine (tissue adhesives, agents for drug or cell delivery). We conclude with a perspective on challenges facing the field, along with prospects for future development.
authors.affiliation: School of Science, State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Xi'an 710049, ShaanXi, People's Republic of China. chenym@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Jian Hai
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jinxiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zrínyi
authors.forename: Patrick H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Dussault
authors.forename: Yoshihito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Yong Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000269:Adhesives; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005782:Gels / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015394:Molecular Structure
chemical_list: D000269:Adhesives; D005782:Gels