Japan has developed a polymer material that can be restored after being disconnected

Japanese researchers recently developed a This achievement is expected to be applied to various scenarios that require the self-healing of the material itself.

The research team of RIKEN and Kyushu University in Japan used a rare earth metal scandium as a catalyst to successfully synthesize a polyolefin polymer material from ethylene and benzoyl propylene under normal pressure. The material is extremely flexible and elastic, and like a liquid, even if it is cut, it will automatically restore itself by the interaction between molecules.

The study found that this material not only has self-healing and shape memory abilities in air, but also has this ability in water, acid and alkaline aqueous solution without any additional force.

According to the researchers, the intermolecular interactions of previous self-healing materials are easily damaged by water or acid, and it is difficult to function in a changeable natural environment, and the synthesis procedure is complicated. This new type of polymer material is low in cost and can be synthesized in large quantities. This research result provides important guidance for the design and development of self-healing materials in the future.

The relevant research results have been published in the new online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.