Also: autonomic healing, vascular self-healing, supramolecular rubber
Self-healing materials repair cracks on their own, inspired by how living tissue heals.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
White and colleagues embedded healing-agent capsules that burst and repair cracks in plastic.
Built / tested: self-healing composite
As reported in: White, Sottos, Geubelle et al. (2001). Autonomic healing of polymer composites. Nature. doi:10.1038/35057232
Abstract only
Toohey and colleagues used a skin-like network of channels to heal a coating repeatedly.
As reported in: Toohey, Sottos, Lewis et al. (2007). Self-healing materials with microvascular networks. Nature Materials. doi:10.1038/nmat1934
Abstract only
Cordier and colleagues made a rubber that heals when broken pieces are pressed together.
Built / tested: self-healing rubber
As reported in: Cordier, Tournilhac, Soulié-Ziakovic et al. (2008). Self-healing and thermoreversible rubber from supramolecular assembly. Nature. doi:10.1038/nature06669
Abstract only