A team of scientists from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University has recently witnessed for the first time a stunning phenomenon: pieces of metal cracking, then fusing back together without any human intervention.
If this amazing phenomenon can be harnessed, it could give rise to an engineering revolution in which self-healing bridges, engines, or airplanes could reverse damage caused by wear and tear and thus become safer and longer-lasting.
“This was absolutely stunning to watch first-hand,” said Brad Boyce, a materials scientist at Sandia. “What we have confirmed is that metals have their own intrinsic, natural ability to heal themselves, at least in the case of fatigue damage at the nanoscale.”
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