At present, scientists are experimenting with a kind of "shape memory plastic", which can automatically change its shape according to the change of temperature. If it is made into a memory spring and installed on our doors and windows, with the change of sunlight intensity and temperature, the doors and windows will automatically close and open to adjust the indoor light. If installed on the shower head, the water temperature can be automatically adjusted. In addition, if the "shape memory plastic" is made into an embedded sensor, it will be embedded in the climbing rope, so that once the rope is worn and its strength decreases, the color of the rope will automatically give a warning.
Scientists are also studying other ways to make materials more "smart". According to the self-healing function of human body, American scientists have made some progress in repairing synthetic materials such as FRP. The researchers added the "lymph" that can be secreted in time for healing and the chemical catalyst needed to activate this repair solution to start the repair process to the polymer, and developed a new method that can make the polymer "automatically heal".
In our daily life, artificial polymers have been widely used. For example, mobile phone circuit boards, tennis rackets, poles for pole vaulting, fenders for automobiles, etc. Are made of reinforced fibers. If under the condition of fatigue and wear, the life of these durable products will be greatly reduced. For example, every bump of a car will produce tiny cracks in the composite material with the vibration. After a period of use, the performance of synthetic materials will weaken, so it needs to be repaired, and the discarded materials will be discarded.
Therefore, for a long time, scientists have been hoping to find a simple method to repair synthetic materials, which can make polymer tennis rackets more durable, mobile phone circuit boards easier to repair, and the body more solid and beautiful. Now, I finally found it. Maybe it won't be long before people can drive this brand-new car.
In the past, people usually used methods such as punching, drilling, filling and repairing to repair damaged parts. Now, when making synthetic materials in advance, we only need to evenly mix a special ultrafine capsule filled with a special resin in the resin matrix, then evenly sprinkle a chemical catalyst microcrystal like salt particles, and finally form together, so that we can make this kind of polymer embedded with countless ultrafine capsules. If it is damaged, the catalyst put in advance will activate the special resin in the capsule and make the resin begin to soften automatically. When it becomes a viscous liquid, the cracks or holes that appear during injection and filling will gradually solidify, so that the synthetic material can automatically repair the damaged parts for a long time.
The research results have a very wide range of uses, which can prolong the life of fillers used in plastic surgery. If it is used in the aerospace field, it can make a more durable spacecraft; When used in the electronic field, microelectronic circuit boards with self-repairing ability can be produced.
The emergence of intelligent plastics that can automatically repair damage makes all kinds of materials have automatic functions, which can make materials durable and save manpower and financial resources. However, this road is still very long, and we need to explore and discover it constantly.