Recent advancements in self-healing polymeric hydrogels, shape memory, and stretchable materials

Abstract

Hydrogels are polymer networks which exhibit crosslinking and high rheology, with high water composition and utilized for biomedical applications. Self-healable polymeric hydrogels demonstrate the ability to mend architectural damages. Shape-memory polymeric materials demonstrate self-mending on occurrence of damages during shape recovery. Self-repair coatings exhibit self-healing when damages occur thereby enhancing their durability and shelf-life. This review presents state of the art in self-healing mechanisms of these materials.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Self-healing (mending) materials
• hydrogels
• coatings
• stretchable self-healing
• self-repairing shape memory material

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria, Prof Charles Esimone, Prof Azman Hassan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Manchester University, England, United Kingdom, and Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria, for knowledge impartation.