Self healing materials is an interesting research and could open doors in space exploration.

Self healing materials is an interesting research and could open doors in space exploration.

Originally shared by Gary Ray R

Did Skin for the Terminator Just Get Invented? "Self-Healing Microvascular System"

I thought the post that Zaine Ridling made about self healing materials that use microcapsules that had contained a healing agent before rupturing. Upon rupture, the healing agent spread via capillary action into the fracture, where it encountered catalyst that had also been embedded into the polymer matrix.
was interesting. And then Tomo Owa commented about another self healing material. 
This one uses microvascular networks and was conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois.  This stuff is modeled on human skin.  In fact this could be the first model of skin for the Terminator. ;-)
Kidding aside this is an amazing material.  It will repair itself more than once. While the repeated self-healing of a microvascular system is a tremendous step over the microcapsule healing system, there are still areas for improvement. The repeated healing of a crack in a coating using a microvascular network is not limitless --- it is restricted by the finite supply of catalyst in the coating. While the fluid delivered through the network continues to fill the crack, access to the reactive catalyst in the crack plane decreases with each healing event.

The image below is the test rig for the material, using a four point beam.

Thanks to both Tomo and Zaine for sharing this fascinating research.

http://autonomic.beckman.illinois.edu/network_background.html