Researchers Tout Self-Healing Rubber
A research team from Harvard University say they have developed a self-healing rubber that is as durable as natural rubber.
A research team from Harvard University say they have developed a self-healing rubber that is as durable as natural rubber.
The concept involves connecting reversible bonds—similar to those developed earlier by the school to enable self-healing water-based hydrogels—and the permanent covalent bonds found in rubber polymers. A so-called molecular rope, which the researchers describe as randomly branched polymers, allows the two previously unmixable bonds to connect.
When stretched, self-healing rubber “crazes,” forming cracks that are connected by fibrous strands. This helps redistribute stress, thereby avoiding points that could tear or be permanently damaged. When the stress is released, the self-healing material snaps back to its original form.
Harvard has filed a patent application for the technology and is seeking commercialization opportunities. The researchers, who are in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, were supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
The team has published its findings in the science journal Advanced Materials.