@article{c1ae03fc43ed4413a35627480477cc28,
title = "Tracking capsule activation and crack healing in a microcapsule-based self-healing polymer",
abstract = "Structural polymeric materials incorporating a microencapsulated liquid healing agent demonstrate the ability to autonomously heal cracks. Understanding how an advancing crack interacts with the microcapsules is critical to optimizing performance through tailoring the size, distribution and density of these capsules. For the first time, time-lapse synchrotron X-ray phase contrast computed tomography (CT) has been used to observe in three-dimensions (3D) the dynamic process of crack growth, microcapsule rupture and progressive release of solvent into a crack as it propagates and widens, providing unique insights into the activation and repair process. In this epoxy self-healing material, 150 µm diameter microcapsules within 400 µm of the crack plane are found to rupture and contribute to the healing process, their discharge quantified as a function of crack propagation and distance from the crack plane. Significantly, continued release of solvent takes place to repair the crack as it grows and progressively widens.",
author = "McDonald, {S. A.} and Coban, {S. B.} and Sottos, {N. R.} and Withers, {P. J.}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge funding and technical support from BP through the BP International Centre for Advanced Materials (BP-ICAM) which made this research possible. We acknowledge Diamond Light Source for beamtime, granted via the Diamond Manchester Collaboration, on the Diamond Manchester Imaging Branchline (I13-2) under proposal MT4022-3. We are grateful for the support from staff at I13-2 and to Prof. Peter D. Lee for use of the P2R mechanical loading rig. We acknowledge the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, through grants EP/F007906/1, EP/F001452/1, EP/I02249X, EP/M010619/1, EP/F028431/1 and EP/M022498/1, which is part of the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials funded by grant EP/R00661X. PJW acknowledges support from the European Research Council grant No. 695638 CORREL-CT. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019, The Author(s).",
year = "2019",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1038/s41598-019-54242-7",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "9",
journal = "Scientific reports",
issn = "2045-2322",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}