'Terminator' Polymer Spontaneously Heals Itself

When a pipe bursts, you may eventually be able to hold the pieces together and watch them fuse. That could be one of the practical uses for the self-healing polymer discovered by researchers at the CIDETEC Centre for Electrochemical Technologies in San Sebastian, Spain.

Synthetic polymers are found in all kinds of materials, which is, the researchers said, what makes their discovery so appealing. Natural polymers are also found everywhere, such as in skin. The difference is that synthetic ones hadn't been able to repair damaged cross-linking bonds that once held the material together — at least, not without some assistance. Now, much like skin after a cut, they can. Read more...