Open AccessBiosynthetic self-healing materials for soft machines
Author(s) -
Abdon PenaFrancesch,
Haejoon Jung,
Melik C. Demirel,
Metin Sitti
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nature materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 14.344
H-Index - 483
eISSN - 1476-4660
pISSN - 1476-1122
DOI - 10.1038/s41563-020-0736-2
Subject(s) - soft robotics , self healing , soft materials , materials science , self healing material , mechanical strength , computer science , nanotechnology , robotics , actuator , smart material , nanostructure , mechanical engineering , biomedical engineering , artificial intelligence , robot , composite material , engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Self-healing materials are indispensable for soft actuators and robots that operate in dynamic and real-world environments, as these machines are vulnerable to mechanical damage. However, current self-healing materials have shortcomings that limit their practical application, such as low healing strength (below a megapascal) and long healing times (hours). Here, we introduce high-strength synthetic proteins that self-heal micro- and macro-scale mechanical damage within a second by local heating. These materials are optimized systematically to improve their hydrogen-bonded nanostructure and network morphology, with programmable healing properties (2-23 MPa strength after 1 s of healing) that surpass by several orders of magnitude those of other natural and synthetic soft materials. Such healing performance creates new opportunities for bioinspired materials design, and addresses current limitations in self-healing materials for soft robotics and personal protective equipment.