Self Healing Materials are materials that have the build in capabillity to repair (early stage) damage, that would finally lead to material failure, autonomously, or with minor external stimulus. Evidently nature is a major source of inpiration for his type of research: living organisms already possess the property of autonomous repair of damage (wound healing, recovery of broken limbs).
Source: http://www.selfhealingmaterials.nl/index_eng.htm
Completely automatic means of Self Healing can be achieved by placing microcapsules within an epoxy system. If a crack occurs, the capsules (filled with a monomer) burst and the contents will fill the crack. This will cause the monomer to polymerise, creating polymers chains to heal the crack.
Sounds complicated, but it works and could be used on a large variety of products.
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