Open Access

ARTICLE

Infrared and Microwave Radiation Assisted Self-Healing Property of Exfoliated-Graphene Incorporated Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene Nanocomposites

Shilpi Tiwari^*, Manjari Srivastava, Dibyendu S. Bag^*

1 Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur, 208013, India

* Corresponding Authors: Shilpi Tiwari. Email: ; Dibyendu S. Bag. Email:

Journal of Polymer Materials 2025, 42(1), 187-204. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2025.057322

Received 14 August 2024; Accepted 20 November 2024; Issue published 27 March 2025

Abstract

Smart materials with self-healing properties are highly desired. This study investigates graphene-incorporated styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) nanocomposites for their self-healing property assisted by Infrared (IR) and microwave radiation. The good thermal conductivity and energy-absorbing capacity of graphene offer self-healing capability to SIS/GnP nanocomposites due to their exposure to IR and microwave radiation. The absorbed energy in graphene is transferred to the SIS matrix, facilitating the diffusion, re-entanglement, and restoration of the SIS polymer chains, resulting in multiple times self-healing capabilities using various external stimuli. All SIS/GnP nanocomposite samples exhibit self-healing behavior, and the healing efficiency rises with increasing GnP content in the nanocomposites and healing time. The cut mark on the SIS/GnP nanocomposite sample (having 10 wt.% of GnP) entirely disappears when the sample is placed in contact with IR radiation (at 250 W) for 10 min. In addition, the sample is completely healed when exposed to microwave radiation (at 900 W) for less than 30 s. The good dispersion of the graphene nanoplates in the SIS matrix was observed in SEM micrographs. Strong interfacial interactions between the SIS copolymer chains and exfoliated graphene (GnP) due to π-π stacking stabilize graphene dispersion against agglomeration. The effect of graphene nanoplates on the SIS thermoplastic elastomer’s thermal stability and phase transition is also studied by Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis.

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