Self-healing optical fibers and the compositions used to create the same

A composition for coating an optical fiber comprising:

• optionally, a reactive monomer and/or oligomer component;
• a self-healing component consisting of molecules possessing one or more self-healing moieties, urethane linking groups, and optionally one or more polymerizable moieties, wherein the one or more self-healing moieties comprise 2-ureido-4-pyrimidinone (UPy) groups, and wherein
• (a) the self-healing component is present, relative to the weight of the entire composition, in an amount greater than 30 wt. %;
• or
• (b) the composition possesses greater than 0.02 equivalents of the one or more self-healing moieties per 100 g of the composition;
• an initiator component;
• and
• optionally, an additive component,
• wherein the molecules possessing one or more self-healing moieties, urethane linking groups, and optionally one or more polymerizable moieties have a theoretical molecular weight (MWtheo) of between 500 and 2000 g/mol and comprise 0.9 to less than 1.5 units of a constitutional unit derived from a polyether, a polyester, a polycarbonate, a polycaprolactone, and/or an acrylic compound having two hydroxyl groups.