What They Say
A report published in the Science Journal covered work by Indian scientists to create a new crystalline material that is said to be capable of self-healing, but might be usable to repair materials including display cover screens. Most self-healing materials are not crystalline, but soft. The new material is piezoelectric and is said to be ten times harder than others. When there is a break, each side of the break has a different polarity and the field plays a part in the self-healing process.
Science 16 Jul 2021:
Vol. 373, Issue 6552, pp. 321-327
DOI: 10.1126/science.abg3886
What We Think
It’s not clear that this material would be suitable for e.g. smartphone coatings, but the principles underlying might be used to develop other formulations. (BR)
