Posted by Tina
Self-repairing car paint ‘makes scrapes vanish’, by Mark Henderson, Science Editor Times Online (UK)
** Scientists in the United States have developed a type of polyurethane coating that mends itself in less than an hour when exposed to sunlight. They plan to develop it as a paint for cars and other surfaces that are subjected to heavy wear and tear, as well as in new forms of packaging, clothing and biomedical products such as bandages. *** Marek Urban and Biswajit Ghosh, of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, created the material using a natural substance found in the shells of crabs and shrimps. *** Howell Edwards, of the University of Bradford, said: Clearly, there are future applications of this work in the repair of automotive components, which extensively use polyurethane polymers, that have suffered minor damage, although the authors note that subsequent damage at the same site is not repairable. **