Multimedia Gallery
Structural Epoxy Beam
Structural Epoxy Beam
A structural epoxy beam with surface cracks that has been healed through supply of a healing agent (red) from the underlying vascular bed. In testing at the University of Illinois, surface cracks were repeatedly healed up to seven consecutive times with no loss in healing efficiency.
Cracks in a brittle coating are healed autonomously via a three-dimensional microvascular network embedded in the underlying substrate. The network contains a healing agent (red) which polymerizes after contacting the catalyst (purple) in the damaged regions. This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. (Date of Image: unknown)
Credit: Janet Sinn-Hanlon, Beckman Institute Imaging Technology Group, University of Illinois; work supported by the AFOSR
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