Researchers at the University of Illinois have created a composite material containing densely packed capsules. Each is filled with a chemical agent that automatically heals the surrounding material when released. The body self-assembles, puts itself together in prescribed architecture, and the process is driven naturally. In one small sense, we've achieved that.
Composites are solid materials made of substances with different physical characteristics.
Ideally, such a blend of ingredients would each original characteristic, such as rigidity or malleability, while contributing desirable properties to the whole. Nowadays composites are ubiquitous, appearing in airplanes, sporting equipment, microelectronics and even some types of dinnerware. Yet despite their unique properties, composites often crack if exposed to enough heat or pressure. But in this material, repairs begin as soon as cracks appear. Tests show the repaired material capable of regaining about 75 percent of its original strength, he added.