Remendable interfaces in polymer composites

Materials that can recover mechanical properties following failure offer increased safety and service life. The reversible Diels-Alder reaction of a furan with a maleimide was used to impart remendability at the polymer-glass interface of a glass-reinforced composite. An epoxy-amine network was furan-functionalized by the addition of furfuryl glycidyl ether as a comonomer and glass fibers were given malelimide functionality. At room temperature the Diels-Alder adduct is formed spontaneously and above 90°C the adduct breaks apart to reform the original furan and maleimide moieties. It is expected that a glass-reinforced composite of maleimide-sized glass within a furan-containing network will demonstrate healing of interfacial failure, and consequently, extension of fatigue life.