Engineers of University of Illinois have invented a self-developing system that repairs electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit. Professor Scott White of aerospace engineering and Professor Nancy Sottos of materials science and engineering had organized and led the study. Rather than having to build in redundancies or to build in a sensory diagnostics system, this material is designed to take care of the problem itself." The team has developed a state of the art system for self-healing polymer materials and conductive systems by dispersing tiny microcapsules on top of a gold line functioning as a circuit. As the crack enlarges, the microcapsules break open and release the liquid metal contained inside. The unique liquid metal fills in the gap in the circuit, and immediately restores electrical flow.
23-Dec-11 
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