Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recently discovered a self-healing plastic by merely adding a drop of water. The technology, which involves a multiphase polymer material, is based on the genetic code of a squid's ring teeth.
"What's unique about this plastic is the ability to stick itself back together with a drop of water," Melik Demirel, a professor of engineering science and mechanics at the university and the lead researcher of the project, said in a press release Tuesday. "There are other materials that are self healing, but not with water," he added.
In order to develop the self-healing property of the plastic, the team turned to squids - more specifically their ring teeth - that were collected in various parts of the world. The researchers found that the samples yield plenty of proteins with self-healing properties. They recreated the proteins using biotechnology on several samples of bacteria in order to avoid depleting the squid population, according to Penn News.
The outcome of Demirel and his team's research was an incredibly tough material that can be "healed" or reformed when broken. In an experiment to demonstrate the healing property of the plastic, the researchers formed the protein into a bone and cut it into two. They then pressed it back together and doused it in water while applying pressure, reported Engadget. The broken parts were successfully reattached, and the plastic proved to be as tough as before.
The researchers expect that the self-healing polymer will become an important material in medical implants and underwater cables, among others objects that are located in places that are hard to repair.
The team published their research in the journal Nature.