Kaustubh
Member • Apr 12, 2014
Self Healing Material Can Auto-Fix The Scratches On Your Car
Getting scratches on your brand new car or bike is probably one of the worst experiences in life. There are scratch fixing solutions available in the market; but they aren't very effective all the times. How do you like the idea of the scratches auto-fixing themselves and regaining their original texture and shine without you even noticing? Say thanks to the researchers at Karlsruhe Institute Of Technology (KIT) who have developed self-healing material that can make this possible. The four years of research has resulted into creation of a new type of polymer network that can restore their molecular structure on demand.
The research was headed by KIT's Prof. Christopher Barner-Kowollik. The team explored the possible interlinking of functionalized fibers through a reversible chemical reaction to create a new self-healing material. This material can decompose into its constituents and reassemble upon application of heat. The main advantage is that the self-healing process can be triggered by application of light, a chemical substance or heat. No catalyst or additive is required in the process, confirms Professor Barner-Kowollik. The reaction can be carried out at relatively lower temperatures ranging between 50 - 120 °C.
Image Credit: Günter Menzl – Fotolia
The healing happens within just a few minutes after application of heat removing one of the major hurdles in the traditional process. The team ensured that the material regains its tensile strength and viscosity. The mechanical tests showed that the bond between the molecules became even stronger after healing.
Barner-Kowollik is excited about transferring the self-healing properties of the material to larger range of known plastics. One of the possible application of these materials would be in production of fiber-reinforced plastic components to be used in automobile and aviation industry .
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#
The research was headed by KIT's Prof. Christopher Barner-Kowollik. The team explored the possible interlinking of functionalized fibers through a reversible chemical reaction to create a new self-healing material. This material can decompose into its constituents and reassemble upon application of heat. The main advantage is that the self-healing process can be triggered by application of light, a chemical substance or heat. No catalyst or additive is required in the process, confirms Professor Barner-Kowollik. The reaction can be carried out at relatively lower temperatures ranging between 50 - 120 °C.
Image Credit: Günter Menzl – Fotolia
The healing happens within just a few minutes after application of heat removing one of the major hurdles in the traditional process. The team ensured that the material regains its tensile strength and viscosity. The mechanical tests showed that the bond between the molecules became even stronger after healing.
Barner-Kowollik is excited about transferring the self-healing properties of the material to larger range of known plastics. One of the possible application of these materials would be in production of fiber-reinforced plastic components to be used in automobile and aviation industry .
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#