Self Healing Materials

Approximately one year ago, a bridge in my area suffered a catastrophic failure due to corrosion, and it got me thinking about what could have stopped the collapse. What if a bridge could heal minor cracks before they become catastrophic? Well, as it turns out, self-healing materials are possible to create and are actually used in many cases.

In the case of the bridge collapse, a recent study from Rice University claims to have created a steel coating that could heal corrosion. In theory, had the bridge been coated with the anti-corrosive, it might not have fallen. However, the coating could be applied to a lot more bridges than just the Fern Hollow Bridge, and it would be able to lengthen the lifespan of each bridge significantly, at a lower cost than replacing the entire bridge every so often.

Although, there is another highly revolutionary self-healing material in the field of structural engineering: self-healing concrete. When water enters a crack in the concrete, a bacteria responds by using elements in the concrete such as calcium, nitrogen, and oxygen to synthesize limestone, filling the crack. Since concrete is one of the most commonly used materials, this technology can be used in so many different cases, saving the lives of countless people (saving the pockets of countless people, too!).

If we integrate more self healing materials to our structures, we could guarantee a safer environment to live in.