Electrospun self-healing beaded fibers with a PDMS core and poly(vinyl alcohol) shell on steel at 8000x magnification under scanning electron microscope (SEM)

Abstract

My Ph.D. research involves developing self-healing coatings for steel using electrospun fibers. This image is an example of some of the core-shell fibers are synthesized using electrospinning (a technique that uses high voltage to draw out thin fibers) visualized under an electron microscope. The fibers consist of a solid polymer shell and contains a liquid core that can react to either the environment or other fiber core materials. In this particular image, the core material contains poly(dimethylsiloxane) and a crosslinker that when ruptured initiates a chemical reaction. When these self-healing fibers are embedded into a coating material and damage occurs, the fluid-filled fibers release their contents into the damaged region and react to heal the surface, thus recovering the coating material and performance. This scanning electron micrograph is false-colored for aesthetic appeal.