Tweet
Check this out, a note from Science mag:
Self-Healing Polyurethanes
Self-healing materials may allow the fabrication of objects that can be repaired in situ. Ghosh and Urban (p. 1458) devised a self-repairing polyurethane in which the process that damages the material also initiates the first step in the healing process. Oxetane-substituted chitosan was incorporated into a polyurethane and, upon mechanical damage, the oxetane rings open up to form reactive end groups. With exposure to ultraviolet light, the chitosan chains are cut, and link to the oxetane reactive sites, thus leading to rapid healing and repair in a scratched polyurethane coating.
Self-Healing Polyurethanes
Self-healing materials may allow the fabrication of objects that can be repaired in situ. Ghosh and Urban (p. 1458) devised a self-repairing polyurethane in which the process that damages the material also initiates the first step in the healing process. Oxetane-substituted chitosan was incorporated into a polyurethane and, upon mechanical damage, the oxetane rings open up to form reactive end groups. With exposure to ultraviolet light, the chitosan chains are cut, and link to the oxetane reactive sites, thus leading to rapid healing and repair in a scratched polyurethane coating.
Comment