Fiber reinforce polymer (FRP) composite materials are seeing increasing use in the construction of a wide variety of aerospace structures. However, uncertainties regarding the material's impact durability continue to plague the FRP composites community. To address this need, ADA Technologies, Inc. (ADA), Littleton, CO, in partnership with the University of Delaware's Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM), Newark, DE, propose the development of a novel, non-catalytic, fully passive, self-healing polymer for use as a fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) matrix material If successful, the proposed technology will provide fully autonomous self-healing without the use of a catalyst. Further, while the proposed program is largely focused on demonstrating self-healing capabilities in FRP material form, the proposed technology is broadly applicable to next-generation polymer-based composites such as carbon nanotube reinforced composites (i.e., polymer nanocomposites).
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