Nature shows the way: Self-healing membranes

The plant, liana whose stabilization rings of woody cells heal spontaneously after suffering damage serves as a natural example to bionic experts of self-repairing membranes. Such membranes could find use, for example, in rubber dinghies. Researchers have borrowed this trick from nature and developed a polymer foam surface coating with a closed cell construction which not only reduces the pressure loss after the membrane is damaged but also makes the inflatable structure more resistant and giving it a longer operational life.

Read the whole article on Science Daily

More from Science Daily