A Facile Scalable Strategy for Constructing Novel Robust Self-Healing Glove Utilizing Nanoreinforced Thermoreversible Carboxylated Nitrile Butadiene Rubber

Recent decades have seen an increase in using self-healing technology in fabricating multifunctional rubber materials, which incorporate intrinsic mechanisms. However, achieving commendable self-healing efficiency while maintaining strength in thin rubber films remains challenging. Herewith, the preparation of self-healing carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber thin films is presented with 0.40 ± 0.05 mm thickness, reinforced with sustainable TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers. The thin films are fabricated using wet mixing and casting methods and translated to prototype fabrication via dipping. The study involves the effect of varying zinc stearate and filler concentrations on healing efficiency via ionic mechanisms alongside other characterization techniques, such as chemical composition, surface morphology, cross-link density, and thermal stability. The fabricated thin films exhibited a tensile strength of 5.38 MPa and an elongation-at-break of 518%. After undergoing a temperature-induced healing process at 100 °C for 1 h, the healing efficiency for both properties reached 72% and 90%, respectively. Moreover, these films demonstrates the ability to heal repeatedly at the same fracture site over multiple cycles, maintaining a healing efficiency of over 45% after the third cycle. A glove prototype is fabricated and tested using water and air leakage tests to prove the self-healing technology's successful transfer.