Oxime crosslinked polymer networks: Is every reversible covalent bond suitable to create self‐healing polymers?

ABSTRACT The incorporation of reversible covalent bonds into polymeric materials offers the possibility to generate polymers with self‐healing ability. For this purpose, three new oxime crosslinkers are synthesized and crosslinked by the copolymerization with different commercially available methacrylates via a photo‐polymerization process. These crosslinked materials are investigated regarding a potential self‐healing behavior. Moreover, the influence of different additives (polymerizable acids, photo acids, and acid developers) to enable self‐healing is studied in detail. Thereby, the limit of self‐healing based on reversible covalent bonds is reached in these materials. Due to the high stability of the oxime bonds in bulk materials no exchange reactions as well as no self‐healing behavior could be observed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 44168.