Applications of self-healing materials

When a tiny crack forms on the surface of an aircraft or spacecraft, it slowly grows and ultimately breaks or weakens the material. This is how the hull of a spaceship is damaged (Bonsor). With self-healing materials, a spacecraft’s life can be substantially prolonged because such cracks will heal automatically as soon as they develop. Self-healing materials are likely to find applications beyond spacecraft and aircraft. Such materials will be invaluable in electronics like computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets; engineering; biomedicine; and even defense projects. One of the most fascinating applications is perhaps the application of self-healing materials in smartphones, whereby the phone’s screen and cover will be able to heal when it scratches. Self-healing materials are also likely to form part of people’s everyday lives. For instance, they are likely to be used in items like artificial human joints in people with weak limbs, in making tennis racquets, in engineering circuit boards, and even in constructing bridges.