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9h ago

Carbon-Fiber Smart Plastic Self-Heals Repeatedly Yet Suffers Fatigue by Fifth Cycle

Researchers confirmed that high-temperature bond exchanges trigger self-repair without chemical degradation, generating fatigue that poses a scaling challenge.

This photograph taken on October 14, 2024, shows a handful of recycled plastic granules sourced from Thailand being used in the manufacturing of carpets at a Condor Carpets factory in Hasselt, northeastern Netherlands. Founded in 2019, Tide collects around 1,000 tonnes of plastic a year from Thailand and other locations. The collected plastic is processed into pellets before being shipped to customers like Condor Group, one of Europe's largest carpet manufacturers. (Photo by Nick Gammon / AFP) / To go with 'PLASTIC-ENVIRONMENT-UN-OCEANS,FOCUS' by Sara HUSSEIN (Photo by NICK GAMMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Damaged aircraft and vehicles highlight the urgent need for advanced materials.
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Overview

  • Carbon-fiber–reinforced ATSP composites deliver strength multiple times that of steel and weigh less than aluminum, withstanding thermal cycles up to 280 °C.
  • Thermally activated bond exchanges around identified glass transition and vitrification temperatures (~160 °C to 280 °C) enable on-demand self-healing and shape recovery.
  • Testing showed near-full strength recovery after two damage–healing cycles with efficiency dropping to about 80% by the fifth cycle due to accumulating mechanical fatigue.
  • High-resolution imaging confirmed that healed composites closely match their original structure and maintain chemical stability without evidence of thermal degradation.
  • Backed by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research and industry partner ATSP Innovations, researchers highlight scale-up challenges as fatigue and manufacturing defects must be addressed for aerospace and automotive qualification.