Review of research on thermoplastic self-healing polyurethanes

The diverse molecular structures and valuable properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) make them highly promising for applications in various fields such as textiles, garments, biopolymers, elastomers, adhesives, and medicine The introduction of self-healing properties into TPUs significantly improves their applicability because of their excellent durability and long service life. This paper reviews the research progress of self-healing TPUs in recent years. The application of dynamic and dynamic non-covalent bonds in TPUs is introduced, including hydrogen bonds, metal ligand bonds, shape memory assisted self-healing, Host–guest interactions, ionic interactions, Diels–Alder bonds, disulfide bonds, diselenide bonds, disuride bonds, imine bonds and boronic ester bonds. The advantages and disadvantages of different self-healing approach and their roles in improving the self-healing ability and mechanical properties of polyurethane networks are then analyzed. These findings possess significant research value in the exploration of novel functionalities and expansion of application domains for thermoplastic polyurethane materials, thereby offering valuable insights towards achieving their sustainable development.