Self-healing plastic repairs itself in 10 seconds even under water

A new type of plastic can rapidly heal itself under water, even in harsh conditions. It maintains its strength after self-healing, so it may be useful in emergencies at sea.

Lili Chen at Tsinghua University in China and her colleagues developed this material, called Rapid Underwater Self-healing Stiff Elastomer (RUSSE) because most self-healing polymers don’t work very well under water. “Room temperature self-healing polymers generally have a poor underwater stability, low healing strength and a slow healing process,” says Chen.

RUSSE is made of small chunks of a type of soft polymer used in some paints connected by nanometre-sized chains of a tougher polymer. The researchers tested the material’s properties by stretching it, cutting it and bashing it with a hammer.

[McShrimpies]

Because we needed plastic to be harder to get rid of.

[mikopiko]

Can't wait to see this on the ocean

[azafreak]

It didn't heal itself
That hand had to pinch it

[codbug]

I wish my urethra was made of this stuff.

[echolot]

by that logic they should also be able to invent plastic that dissolves when in salt water

[jfrorn]

Self repair, AI, skynet....what could possibly go wrong?

[ullaodk]

So once it's out in nature, it will never ever be broken down. Sickening. - Edited: Got some clarifications, guess it's not that bad after all.

[jimmij]

So how many times can it repair itself?

[adamrushford]

Why does this shit take so long, they were talking about designer pets and genetics and don't even have medicine for MD yet... great news for underwater welders.. eh.. need more geneticists!