Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Self-healing polymer composites become an attractive family of intelligent materials that are capable of autonomously repairing damage, which will enhance their durability, reliability and service life in extreme engineering applications. The materials are based on the principles of nature, using the nanofillers that are derived from biological systems to improve mechanical properties and self-healing capabilities by utilizing hierarchical structures and multifunctional interface interactions. The recent developments on the formulation of self-healing polymer composite with nanocellulose, graphene and graphene oxide, MXenes, engineered nanoclays, chitin nanofibers, catechol-functionalized nanoparticles, and other bioinspired nanofillers obtained from sustainable sources are reviewed. The intrinsic, extrinsic and vascular self-healing systems have been explored with a detailed discussion on the effect of these nanomaterials on crack arrest, stress transfer, interfaces adhesion, reversible covalent and supramolecular bonding, healing kinetics and mechanical reinforcement. In addition, the review compares different manufacturing methods, such as solution casting, melt blending, additive manufacturing, electrospinning, and in situ polymerization, and also discusses the impact of the manufacturing process on the dispersion of nanofiller, composite structure and healing properties. Recent advances are also explored in mechanical characterization, fracture toughness, fatigue resistance and thermal stability, electrical conductivity, and multifunction sensing capabilities to illustrate the wide range of possibilities of these advanced composites. The review also covers major issues associated with large scale commercialization such as nanofiller agglomeration, limited healing cycles, scalability, cost, recyclability, environmental stability for extended period, manufacturing complexity, etc. The next generation of autonomous structural materials is highlighted by emerging research trends of vitrimer chemistry, dynamic covalent networks, bio-derived sustainable polymers, machine learning-assisted materials design, digital manufacturing and artificial intelligence-driven optimization. In conclusion, the bioinspired nanofillers are a highly promising approach for the development of strong, multifunctional and sustainable self-healing polymer composites for application in various sectors including aerospace, automotive, civil engineering, marine, biomedical, and energy industries, and also the future research directions required for successful industrial scale implementation of the materials.
Source: Journal of Polymer & Composites
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7224599249