Figure 1.

Self-healing mechanisms. (A) Physical processes to realize self-healing include interdiffusion of polymer chains, the introduction of phase-separated morphologies, shape-memory effects, and the introduction of active nanoparticles into a polymer matrix. (B) Chemical processes to facilitate self-healing involve either introducing reactive chain ends or supramolecular chemistries. (C) Physical and chemical processes can be combined to realize self-healing. Self-healing is achieved by incorporating enhanced van der Waals interactions, or encapsulating nanocapsules or microcapsules containing reactive liquids to heal a wound, or by mimicking cardiovascular architectures composed of hollow fibers filled with reactive chemicals to heal a polymer matrix. Reproduced with permission from ref (21). Copyright 2020 Nature Publishing Group.