Internal storage compartments release droplets of “healing” liquid to repair damaged materials.
The Science
Inspired by healing wounds in skin, a new approach protects and heals surfaces using a fluid secretion process. In response to damage, dispersed liquid-storage droplets are controllably secreted. The stored liquid replenishes the surface and completes the repair of the polymer in seconds to hours.
The Impact
The fluid secretion approach to repair the material has also been demonstrated in fibers and microbeads. This bioinspired approach could be extended to create highly desired adaptive, resilient materials with possible uses in heat transfer, humidity control, slippery surfaces, and fluid delivery.
Summary
A polymer that secretes stored liquid in response to damage has been designed and created to function as a self-healing material. While human-made material systems can trigger the release of stored contents, the ability to continuously self-adjust and monitor liquid supply in these compartments is a challenge. In contrast, biological systems manage complex protection and healing functions by having individual components work in concert to initiate and self-regulate a coordinated response. Inspired by biological wound-healing, this new process, developed by researchers at Harvard University, involves trapping and dispersing liquid-storage droplets within a reversibly crosslinked polymer gel network topped with a thin liquid overlayer.
This novel approach allows storage of the liquid, yet is reconfigurable to induce finely controlled secretion in response to polymer damage. When the gel was damaged by slicing, the ruptured droplets in the immediate vicinity of the damage released oil and the gel network was squeezed. This squeezing allowed oil to be pushed out from neighboring droplets and the polymer network linkages to unzip and rezip rapidly, allowing just enough oil to flow to the damaged region.
Healing occurred at ambient temperature within seconds to hours as fluid was secreted into the crack, severed polymer ends diffused across the gap, and new network linkages were created. Droplet-embedded polymers repaired faster or at lower temperatures than polymers without oil droplets. Also, the repaired droplet-embedded materials were much stronger than the repaired networks that did not contain the droplets.
This dynamic liquid exchange to repair the material has also been demonstrated in other forms, showing the potential to extend this bioinspired approach for fabricating highly desired adaptive, resilient materials to a wide range of polymeric structures.
Read more: Damaged Material, Heal Thyself
The Latest on: Self-healing material
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-healing material” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Self-healing material
- Ape Treating His Wound Using Medicinal Plant is a World First for a Wild Animalon May 5, 2024 at 11:26 am
An ape was seen treating a wound using a medicinal plant for the first time. Days later the Sumatran orangutan had successfully healed it.
- Self-healing, magical highways to resolve pothole situation in India: NHAI's prospective plan explainedon May 5, 2024 at 2:08 am
NHAI explores self-healing materials with steel fibers and bitumen to reduce potholes, extend road life, and lower maintenance costs in India. Stay up ...
- Orangutan in the wild applied medicinal plant to heal its own injury, biologists sayon May 3, 2024 at 11:43 pm
It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.
- Highways Authority Planning To Build Self-Healing Roads In India: Reporton May 2, 2024 at 10:38 pm
NHAI says the technology will increase the lifespan of roads.
- First report of wound treatment by a wild animal using a pain-relieving planton May 2, 2024 at 8:01 am
Even though there is evidence of certain self-medication behaviors in animals, so far it has never been known that animals treat their wounds with healing plants.
- Scientists spot an orangutan using a plant to treat his own wound in the wildon May 2, 2024 at 8:01 am
In a rare observed case of self-treatment in a wild animal, scientists documented an orangutan applying a medicinal plant to a wound on his face.
- Building Roads Of Tomorrow: NHAI To Build Self-Repairing Highways To Combat Potholeson May 1, 2024 at 6:55 am
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is spearheading efforts to introduce roads that possess the remarkable ability to repair themselves ...
- Self-Healing Materials: Pioneering a New Era of Resilience and Durabilityon April 30, 2024 at 12:05 pm
What are Self-Healing Materials? Self-healing materials are a class of advanced materials that have the ability to autonomously repair damage and restore their original properties without external ...
- What are self-healing roads that India may introduce to tackle the big pothole problem?on April 29, 2024 at 4:56 am
India has a serious problem of potholes. In 2022, there were 4,446 accidents due to these craters, which led to the deaths of 1,856 people. Now, to tackle this menace, the National Highways Authority ...
- Self-Healing Materials Market Estimated to Reach US$ 15.57 billion by 2032, Fueled by Infrastructure Surge in Developing Economieson April 26, 2024 at 8:03 am
The self-healing materials industry size estimated at US$ 1.61 billion in 2022 is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 25.5% from 2022 to 2032. Materials that are capable of self-healing are stimulated by ...
via Bing News