Don’t mind us in the material science lab…just accidentally cookin’ up some revolutionary strong, self-healing polymers over here.
IBM, despite what 80’s Apple fanboys will tell you, has always been a pretty rad, cutting-edge company. Of course much of what IBM does now doesn’t even compare to the IBM of the past, like their polymer research division.
That division published its breakthrough new discovery in Science today, where the IBM researchers outline a new strong, self-healing polymer.
The new polymer, which IBM has made in two forms, has endless applications. The first form of the polymer, which is the form that was accidentally discovered by Dr. Jeannette Garcia, is solid, and its applications include manufacturing and metal replacement. The second, liquid form of the polymer is what’s shown in the video above. This rubber band-like substance is self-healing — so two separate pieces of the polymer join to form one solid piece upon contact.
There’s a lot of research ahead — IBM has already discovered other properties of the polymer, but they haven’t disclosed anything yet — and there should be more news on the substance later this year.
Source: Engadget
