Dynamic sulfur chemistry as a key tool in the design of self-healing polymers

The rich variety of reversible or dynamic covalent chemistries based on sulfur offers a unique opportunity for the design of self-healing polymer networks. The reversibility of such chemical bonds can be used to create soft systems which can self-mend at ambient conditions. Here we focus on the mechanism of three different dynamic sulfur chemistries which have been used for the development of self-healing elastomers and hydrogels: thiolate/nanoparticle exchange, aromatic disulfide exchange and gold(I)-thiolate/disulfide exchange.