Scientists invent self-healing 'terminator' polymer that could revolutionize electronics, body armor

(NaturalNews) Okay, so maybe Hollywood is really where the cutting edge of technology takes place. What moviemakers and scriptwriters dream up eventually becomes reality.

That would certainly seem to be the case in this instance: Scientists in Spain are boasting about creating the first self-healing thermoset elastomer that does not require any intervention in order to regenerate and repair itself.

But don't think of the layer of skin over Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator" robot (circa 1984). Think more of the robot sent after him in Terminator II - the one that could shift forms and be transformed into molten liquid - then reform.

From the website Chemistry World:

Self-healing polymers mend themselves by reforming broken cross-linking bonds. However, the cross-linking healing mechanism usually requires an external stimulus.

Triggers to promote bond repair include energy inputs, such as heat or light, or specific environmental conditions, such as pH. Self-healing polymers that can spontaneously achieve quantitative healing in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before, until now.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/042092_self-healing_polymer_chemistry_body_armor.html#ixzz2f8rjALPc