Synthesis and characterization of a furan-based self-healing polymer

The extensive researches of self-healing polymer have been carried out for various applications in industrial fields. In this research, bio-based self-healing polymer was prepared using a cross-linking mechanism between polybutylene furanoate (PBF) and bismaleimide (BM) by Diels-Alder reactions, and it was blended with bio-based polyurethane (BPU) to improve the liquidity, elasticity, and mechanical properties. These self-healing polymer and BPU blended elastomer were made with different ratios of PBF, BM, and BPU. PBF-BM polymer has 6:1, 8:1, and 10:1 of PBF: BM ratios. Each polymer and BPU constitutes self-healing elastomer with 1:1, 1:1.5, and 1:2 ratios. Properties and self-healing ability of these elastomers were investigated by thermal, mechanical, and morphological analysis. On average, 6:1 of PBF: BM ratio shows the outstanding self-healing efficiency and 1:2 of PBF-BM polymer: BPU ratio has the highest mechanical properties with maintain its self-healing ability. Overall results indicated that BPU is a good reinforcement of the furan-based self-healing polymer with improving the self-healing ability and eco-friendly performance.