Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have create a power plastic that sticks together with a drop of water. This mold-able polymer heals itself when exposed to water.
It was observed that all squids around the world had proteins in their system which allow them to self-heal. This observation was the basis for creating this polymer.
The yield of these proteins is quite low per squid meaning that many animals would have to be processed in order to obtain a usable amount for use in polymer .So as to not deplete the squid population and to have a uniform material, the researchers used biotechnology to create the same proteins present in the bacteria at their laboratory.
In the tests that were conducted, a sample of the material was first cut in two, and then a little warm water and slight pressure was applied to join the two halves into one. The healed sample was then subject to weight-suspension tests and it was found to be just as strong as it was before being cut.
This invention could be very useful for broken fiber-optic cables under the ocean. Currently if one of the fiber-optic cables breaks, the only way to fix it is to replace it. It would be possible to heal the cable with this new invention thus saving time and money.
Today, there are other materials that have self healing properties, but none of them can repair themselves with water.
In future scientists may apply this approach to healing of wounds or in other fields of to promote wound healing.
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