Cell phone glass repair shops could soon be a thing of the past. Scientists have created a plastic that can actually heal itself.
The plastic is a blend of polymer loaded with monomer. The polymerized monomer is able to “heal” small cracks in itself. This plastic is a vascular like repair system involving a dual-stage strategy to self heal epoxy thermosets. The results are tremendous.
The first major breakthrough was in 2001 at the University of Illinois, where Professor Scott White and his peers first invented the self healing plastic. Since then, this polymer creation has been used in concrete, electrical cables, and water resistant coating.
Unfortunately, it is only able to heal small scale cracks and damage.
So White and his team are back at the drawing board, creating a new plastic system that will work just like the veins in our very own bodies. The test results show that the cracks and damages in this new formula return to almost 62%.
While we may be a few years away from everyday use on our pipes and cell phone screens, scientists are hopeful and excited for the development of this new self healing plastic.
What are some uses you can think of for this plastic to use in your everyday life?
