Abstract:

Self-healing material has been the hot-point of research recently. It is composed of microcapsule with active agent, catalyst for active agent’s fast cross-linking and matrix resin. The application of self-healing material is extremely affected by the mechanical properties of microcapsules, which are determined by the size distribution and shell thickness of self-healing microcapsule. Microcapsule for self-healing materials was formulated with melamine formaldehyde (MF) as shell material and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) as core material by using in situ polymerization in this research. The relationships of size distribution and shell thickness of microcapsule versus pH value, reaction time and agitating rate were investigated with MasterSizer2000 (MS2000) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The results showed that size distribution was worse and shell thickness did not change much when pH value was decreased. Shell thickness increased and size distribution did not change significantly when reaction time was prolonged. Size distribution was better and shell thickness did not change significantly when agitating rate was increased.