Design of Dual Hybrid Network Natural Rubber-SiO Elastomers with Tailored Mechanical and Self-Healing Properties.

The preparation of natural rubber (NR)-silica (SiO) elastomeric composites with excellent mechanical properties along with better self-healing ability remains a key challenge. Inspired by the energy dissipation and repairability of sacrificial bonds in biomaterials, a strategy for combining covalent and noncovalent sacrificial networks is engineered to construct a dual hybrid network. Here, the approach used to fabricate the composites was self-assembly of NR, bearing proteins and phospholipids on its outer bioshell, with SiO via metal-ion-mediated heteroaggregation effected by reversible electrostatic and H-bonds.