Self-Healing Materials
28 August 2007, 13:07
Categories: biomimicry smart-materials-smt
The ability to heal wounds is one of the truly remarkable properties of biological systems. A grand challenge in materials science is to design smart synthetic systems that can mimic this behavior by not only ‘sensing’ the presence of a ‘wound’ or defect, but also actively re-establishing the continuity and integrity of the damaged area. Such self-healing materials would significantly extend the lifetime and utility of a vast array of manufactured items. Recent reviews have addressed current techniques for fabricating such materials and indicated that there has been progress in creating useful systems. Nonetheless, the integration of self-healing mechanisms into a diverse range of materials is proving to be daunting.
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Posted by: The Editors
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