Thaindian News

Washington, Apr 21 (ANI): Scientists have unveiled a new kind of coating that can mend its own scratches under brief exposures to ultraviolet light.

A team of researchers in the United States and Switzerland have developed a polymer-based material called “metallo-supramolecular polymers,” which is capable of becoming a supple liquid that fills crevasses and gaps left by scrapes and scuffs when placed under ultraviolet light for less than a minute and then resolidifying.

They envision widespread uses in the not-so-distant future for re-healable materials like theirs, primarily as coatings for consumer goods such as automobiles, floors and furniture.

While their polymers are not yet ready for commercial use, they acknowledge, they now have proved that the concept works.

“These polymers have a Napoleon Complex,” said lead author Stuart Rowan, a professor of macromolecular engineering and science and director of the Institute for Advanced Materials at Case Western Reserve University.

“In reality they’re pretty small but are designed to behave like they’re big by taking advantage of specific weak molecular interactions,” he added.

While these metallo-supramolecular polymers behave in many ways like normal polymers, when irradiated with intense ultraviolet light the assembled structures become temporarily unglued.

This transforms the originally solid material into a liquid that flows easily. When the light is switched off, the material re-assembles and solidifies again; its original properties are restored.

The study is detailed in the journal Nature. (ANI)