High-performance self-healing epoxy resin film based on the synergistic effect of photothermal conversion and dynamic bonds

Epoxy resin exhibits favorable comprehensive properties that meet the requirements of flexible electronic films in terms of mechanical strength and thermal stability, but suffers from issues such as high inherent brittleness, poor film-forming capabilities, and a lack of self-healing abilities. To overcome these drawbacks, in this study we synthesized an epoxy resin incorporating MXenes and dynamic reversible diselenide bonds, which improved the flexibility and film-forming properties of the epoxy. Furthermore, by leveraging the photothermal conversion effect of MXenes in synergy with the dynamic reversible exchange reaction of diselenide bonds, the epoxy resin was endowed with enhanced self-healing performances. The results demonstrate that the epoxy film containing 1.0 wt% MXenes and 4.0 wt% bis(1-hydroxyethyl)diselenide exhibited significantly increased toughness and acquired light-responsive self-healing characteristics. The resulting film achieved a tensile strength of 22.07 MPa and a self-healing efficiency of 96.3%. This study provides a feasible strategy for developing high-performance, light-responsive self-healing epoxy resin materials.