A material that is able to self-repair even when it is sliced in two has been invented by French researchers.
Self-healing rubber bounces back
A material that is able to self-repair even when it is sliced in two has been invented by French researchers.
 Children are always breaking their toys. Wouldn't it be nice if you could put them back together so easily? |
Rubber that can heal itself after being cut or broken could allow products to mend themselves (Video: Francois Tournilhac/Ludwik Leibler)
When the material melds together again, it has just as much strength as it had before, says Leibler, a polymer chemist at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) in Paris, France. See the material self-healing in the video top right.
The material is synthesised from fatty acids and urea, which are cheap and renewable. The downside is that getting rid of covalent and ionic bonding means the material is weaker than regular rubber.
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clipped from technology.newscientist.com
The material in action
