A new type of plastic that mimics human skin changes color first to show damage from cuts and scratches, then heals itself when exposed to light or changes in temperature or pH.
(Source: Professor Marek W. Urban, University of Mississippi)
Ann, first of all plastic is not an environmental friendly material. So most of the countries are trying either to reduce or ban the use of plastics. In such a scenario, what's the relevance of these types of thermoplastics? Is it something in an environmental friendly way?
Ann, I liked your point about new medical applications for this technology. Many medical plastic components are constantly exposed to harsh sterilization chemicals during regular cleaning and maintenance procedures. If this self-healing process also works after a chemical exposure, it could be an interesting advancement for medical equipment designers.
@Ann-I completely agree. Cost is a major factor for mass market appeal. But, if the cost is the same or just slightly higher, it can fit into the general trend towards sustainability.
The article says that the plastic has to be exposed to intense light to heal itself. That's limiting for most medical implants but could be usuful in sports safety and performance enhancement equipment.
Nadine, I think you're right about moving toward sustainability. But that's exactly what this could provide. Sustainable materials includes those made from greener materials (with lots of discussion about what that means), with greener processes (ditto), which can be recycled in various ways, and/or which can be used longer before being thrown away (or before being recycled). Sustainable materials can fulfill one or more of those 4 categories. This material can be classified in the last category.
We don't yet know how much more this plastic would cost, although it's being targeted at higher-priced apps, that's true. But after being developed for commercial production with those R&D dollars, it could then be extended and adapted to lower-cost apps, like medical. This is a common roadmap for new technologies.
Interesting story, Ann. I'm wondering if there are certain types of material damage that cannot be self-repaired. Your story mentions scratches. What about deformation caused by bending, particularly beyond the elastic limit of the material? If it could self-repair in those situations, it seems like it could be used in structural applications.
Thanks for the great article. naperlou makes a good point but I think the evolution of materials is moving away from convenience and towards true sustainability. The throw away culture we created in the early 20th century can't continue. Textiles made from pre and post consumer materials like milk fiber and wood bark were put on the shelf for the new thing--nylon. Now, we're dusting off that old research.
This sounds good but impractical for now. The cost and application make it very limited. if something like this could exist in medical devices, I'd be very impressed.
Looking forard to hearing more about this in the future.
Good question naperlou. You're right, this is not close to commercial development yet, so cost differentials are unknown. But since a self-healing plastic like this one--which unusually can self-heal multiple times--prolongs the life of the object many times, it means using less of it during that time. That cost amortization, as well as the benefits of not throwing away the object, implies that the COO to manufacturers would be lower than buying it once. I think the point here is that it's not aimed at high-volume, low-cost throwaway applications, but ones where continued use of a high-value product is important, such as military products or structural components.
Ann, this is interesting. One thing I was thinking as I read this, though. One of the attributes of plastics is their low cost. One of the benefits of that is that you would replace the part rather than fix it. Taking that into consideration, how does the cost of this type of plastic compare to conventional plastics? I realize this is not in production yet.
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