Food additive repair

Scientists find an organic solution for seal-healing materials.

US scientists have found a non-toxic solution for materials to heal themselves autonomously.

The new University of Illinois method uses solvent-filled microcapsules embedded in an epoxy matrix, which rupture when a crack forms in plastic material. This process betters their original process that they describe as toxic.

"While our previous solvent worked well for healing, it was also toxic," said Scott White, a professor of aerospace engineering and a researcher at the university's Beckman Institute. "Our new solvent is both non-toxic and less expensive."

Mimicking the body’s ability to repair wounds, automatic self-healing is a process in which damage to epoxy-based materials triggers a repair mechanism. This system can extend the lifetime of the material as well as its structural integrity.

For the new non-toxic solution, the researchers put a food additive called ethyl phenylactate with an unreacted epoxy monomer into microcapsules as small as 150 microns in diameter. This approach achieved a healing efficiency of 100 per cent.

"Previously, the microcapsules contained only solvent, which flowed into the crack and allowed some of the unreacted matrix material to become mobile, react and repair the damage," said graduate research assistant Mary Caruso. "By including a tiny amount of unreacted epoxy monomer with the solvent in the microcapsules, we can provide additional chemical reactivity to repair the material."

This research is intended to move self-healing materials from the lab and into everyday applications, such as in materials used on aeroplanes.

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