Self-renewable materials

US scientists have successfully created a self-healing material that promises to bring practical applications in life.

Photographs of self-healing of material under the influence of infrared laser. (Photo: Science Daily)

Perhaps you have seen in the movie: The robot killer quickly reproduces its structure after being destroyed to an unrecognizable level. This Terminator-like development is becoming closer to reality thanks to scientific advances related to defining the damage of a structural system.

A team of researchers at Arizona State University has created a material that not only detects structural damage - such as cracks in composite fiber reinforced composites - but even self-healing. heal. This structure mimics bone-like biological systems to sense, prevent damage and self-replicate.

This incredible material was created by Henry Sodano and his colleagues. They used a variety of ' shape-memory polymers ' combined with a fiber-optic network that functions as a failing sensor, as well as a heat-stimulating system to produce the same response. Sensory characteristics and self-healing in biological systems. An infrared laser transmits light through the fiber system to heat up the material, stimulating the tough and self-healing mechanism.

This material system can increase the toughness of a sample by 11 times. After making the specimen plastic, the cracks can stick together using a shape-saving effect to restore up to 96% of the original length of the object. New materials can be used in surgery.