Rapidly self-healing, magnetically controllable, stretchable, smart, moldable nanoparticle composite gel.

Rational design of a magnetic and fast self-healing gel is significant in the field of shape construction. Magnetic gels with rapid self-healing ability constructed using nanoparticles and dynamic chemical bonds have so far been elusive. Here, an ultrafast self-healing magnetic gel based on thioctic acid (TA), ferric chloride (FeCl3) and ferric oxide (Fe3O4) has been successfully synthesized. The reversible interactions of the S–S bond, hydrogen bond and iron(III)–carboxylate coordinate bonds endow a 100% self-healing efficiency for the magnetic gel after healing in air for only 10 min, and a saturation magnetization of the gel of 0.27 emu g−1 can be achieved. The intelligent in situ healing ability of the as-obtained magnetic gel guarantees the same function and shape as the original gel. This combination of high-efficiency repaired performance and magnetic properties can broaden the range of applications for shape construction through the "building blocks" consisting of magnetic gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]