Characterisation of Dicyclopentadiene Filled Microcapsules for Self-Healing Composite Materials

Self-healing composite materials possess healing agent which fills up the crack when ruptured and heals the crack by becoming a tough polymer when stimulated by a catalyst. Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) in its monomer form is microencapsulated in the shell of Urea Formaldehyde (UF) under different agitation rates to acquire microcapsules of different diameters. The distribution of particle size, surface morphology and the presence of various chemical constituents in the microcapsules were analysed using optical microscopy, SEM and EDAX respectively. An agitation rate of 300 rpm, yielded capsules of diameters ranging from 800μm to 1700μm and at 900rpm the diameters were less than 300μm. Spherical shaped free flowing microcapsules were obtained through insitu polymerisation of dicyclopentadiene in Urea Formaldehyde.