Self-Healing, Flexible Electronic Material

May-20-16 A self-healing, flexible insulating material able to repair itself even after breaking multiple times could have useful applications in wearable electronics.

Developed by a team from Penn State University, the material is able to automatically repair breaks in dielectrics, which insulate electronics. The team created the material by adding boron nitride nanosheets to a plastic polymer. These nanosheets not only insulate against electricity, but are also able to automatically self-heal, due to the hydrogen bonding groups on the material’s surface that draw together to seal a breach.

Since the self-healing process can function multiple times, the material holds great promise for insulating electronics in wearable devices, which will tend to flex.

More Info about this Invention:

[IEEE.ORG]
[NEWS.PSU.EDU]

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