The presence of microcracks in polymer coatings degrades the structural stability and lifespan of the protective layers. Enhancing the polymer-coated surfaces with self-healing properties has attracted considerable attention as it increases the reliability and lifespan of polymer systems. Herein, the strength and self-healing properties of polyurethane/graphene oxide (PU/GO) composite materials were improved using two GO treatments, referring to mechanical milling and chemical treatment with HF. When GO was surface treated for 5 h with an HF concentration of 40%, and PU/GO was heated 80 °C for 6–8 h, the over 80% healing efficiency can be obtained. The HF-treated GO-reinforced composites demonstrated high self-healing efficiency and remarkable mechanical performance, making them a promising self-healing material for protecting structural composites.
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No. 2021R1C1C1012209 ). This results was supported by “Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS)” through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (MOE) ( 2021RIS-003 ).D.J. Kwon and B Shrimant research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education ( 2020R1A6A1A 03038697 and 2021M3H4A3A01043762 ).
