Polymer regenerates all by itself

By Chemistry World2013-11-06T00:00:00

Elastomers heal themselves

Self-healing polymers mend themselves by reforming broken cross-linking bonds. However, the cross-linking healing mechanism usually requires an external stimulus.

Triggers to promote bond repair include energy inputs, such as heat or light, or specific environmental conditions, such as pH. Self-healing polymers that can spontaneously achieve quantitative healing in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before, until now.

This article provides a link to coverage by Chemistry World.

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