Apparently, Mr. Scott from Star Trek has come back to visit again. Last time he gave scientists the key to a polymer that was stronger than any previously known to mankind.
Now we have polymers that heal themselves when holed!
Self-healing plastic mimics blood clotting
A new plastic that "heals itself" has
been designed, meaning your cracked phone screen or broken tennis racquet could
mend its own wounds.
The polymer automatically patches holes 3cm wide, 100 times bigger than before.
Inspired by the human blood clotting system, it contains a network of capillaries that deliver healing chemicals to damaged areas.
The new material, created by engineers at the University of Illinois, is described in Science journal.
For decades scientists have dreamed of plastics that heal themselves like human skin.
Cracks in water pipes and car bonnets would seal up. Satellites could repair their own damage. Broken electronic chips in laptops and mobile phones would spontaneously sort out their own problems.
It's a helluva world we live in.
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