An illustration of a potential use for the new material. A key goal of the research is to design a material that will protect structures such as orbiting satellites and vehicles in space, with ...

A research team has developed a method for easily synthesizing a self-healing polymer gel made of ultrahigh molecular weight polymers (polymers with a molecular weight greater than 106 g/mol) and ...

A recent study in Nature Communications explores a novel approach to self-healing in polymer glasses—using controlled oscillatory movements to boost molecular mobility and repair cracks. This ...

The self-healing conductor is able to rejoin itself (right) when pieces that have been split are brought together after being cut (middle). (Image: RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science) ...

Imagine trying to design machines that will last forever, regardless of use or destination. Instead of those machines requiring a steady stream of spare parts (essentially impossible for space probes ...

A novel gold-bonded, self-healing polymer can bend, flex, and repair itself without losing conductivity, providing opportunities for advanced wearable electronics and robotics in the future. Gold ...

A new form of “shape memory polymers” have the ability to return to their previous form once damaged, thanks to embedded fiber optics that let them warm themselves back to health with light. The ...

The European Space Agency is developing a spacecraft structure that can detect its own damage and repair itself in orbit, a ...

Concrete may seem strong and permanent, but it can be surprisingly vulnerable to the elements. Now researchers at Drexel University have demonstrated a type of self-healing concrete embedded with ...

1. A research team consisting of NIMS, Hokkaido University and Yamaguchi University has developed a method for easily synthesizing a self-healing polymer gel made of ultrahigh molecular weight (UHMW) ...