For Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar helped the medicine go down. But for Clemson University scientist Marek Urban, sugar may be the ingredient that brings self-healing polymers to the masses.
Previously, polymers needed ultraviolet light to heal. Now chemical reactions between sugar, carbon dioxide and water in the air can occur without sunlight.
Urban said the self-healing polymers could be applied to something as simple as nail polish or advanced as military vehicles: people could possibly go for weeks without having to reapply nail polish, or a military vehicle in a desert sandstorm could self-repair damages. The applications were almost limitless, he said.
The technology Urban is developing is part of a demonstration project under the Department of Defense’s Corrosion Prevention and Control Program.
Polymer is often used as a synonym for plastic, according to Discovery.com, and the website says synthetic polymers are used in objects such as eyeglass lenses and credit cards.
Although there are self-healing products on the market for cellphones, Urban said they were somewhat gimmicky.
He tests the polymers by using a razor to cut them completely apart and then observing them reattach themselves and heal like skin in about an hour through chemical reactions.
The applications could lead to an extended lifetime of car paint, Urban said, and also help maintain bridges and other infrastructure. “The economical advantages are tremendous.”
He hopes the self-healing polymers will be available on the market in two or three years, noting much of the development depends on costs and funding.
“In terms … of research, this field has been so needed,” he said. “Science will drive innovation, and innovation will drive technology.”
About 50-60 groups worldwide are now working on self-healing polymers, Urban said. The research also offers a vehicle for Clemson students to learn and become excited about advancements in science, he said.
Rajendra Bordia, chair of Clemson’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, said in a release, “While Urban’s research is exemplary, he is also passionate about creating the next generation of engineers and scientists.”
Urban’s work is building on his previous research, which started around 2009 and was published in the journal Science. He said his new discovery of using sugar is an add-on value for existing materials, which will help keep development costs low because researchers and companies can use already existing equipment.
Keeping costs low is very important to Urban. “If you’re going to build something that’s going to cost a fortune, why bother?”
See it work
