Geek-Cetera
Self-healing material could repair spacecrafts in outer space
By Meredith Placko 09.03.2015 :: 7:31AM EST 09.03.2015
mplacko
A spaceship that heals itself seems like a thing straight out of a sci-fi film, but it's real-life technology that we could see used in the not so distant future. NASA has been experimenting with a new material that has the ability to patch itself up within a matter of seconds. It's not quite "Terminator" level self-healing tech, but it could be the thing that saves a crew in a hull breach.
Scientists have developed a new material, a gel they've named tributylborane, that sits between two polymer layers. Then those outer casings are punctured, say with a bullet, the gel fills in the space and hardens when exposed to oxygen. Essentially repairing the hole, at least until humans can make their way to the damaged area and give it a more permanent fix.
This tech could be used for space craft, or even here on Earth with the next generation of airplanes and even military equipment. The material, polymer and gel, is thin and lightweight. The team used panels that were only one millimeter thick, but they can get even thinner if need be, down to "tens to hundreds of microns."
Timothy Scott, from the University of Michigan (who partnered with NASA on this) said that the material wouldn't be used to comprise the entirety of a hull, but would be an intermediary material between the cabin and the outside body of any moving craft or structure.
It seems the group wants to implement this as a backup for the International Space Station, or any future space projects. The ISS does have "bumpers" that vaporize space debris that comes into contact with it, but adding the tributylborane in between layers of the station would be an added bit of protection for the crew on board.
The team even posted a video, documenting the process. Shooting a bullet through the polymers, you can see how quickly the gel moves into place and quickly becomes a solid substance when exposed to air. It's not a pretty fix, but it gets the job done — and quickly, too. It took less than a second for the hole to seal up.
It's a pretty revolutionary finding that could be put into use in the very near future.
tributylborane
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