URBANA, IL -- It is known technically as a "rapid restorative mechanism." In layman's terms, it's a method for a broken electrical circuit to heal itself, without human intervention.

That's what a team of University of Illinois scientists recently invented. As published in the Dec. 20 issue of Advanced Materials, the team developed a materials-based system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit.

As the authors write, "Healing is accomplished by the release and transport of a microencapsulated conductive material to the site of damage." The material chosen was a eutectic GaIn alloy, which has low melting point (16°C), relatively high conductivity (3.40 × 10⁴ S•cm⁻¹), and demonstrated ability to form conformal electrodes. The self-healing circuit consists of microencapsulated liquid metal dispersed in a dielectric material and deposited on a conductive line. b) Crack damage breaks the conductive pathway, interrupting electron transport and simultaneously rupturing the capsules. c) The liquid metal flows from the capsules to the area of damage, restoring a conductive pathway.

The researchers tested the material against a control sample and noted that periodic monitoring for up to four months following the healing event showed no loss of conductivity.

The paper title is "Autonomic Restoration of Electrical Conductivity," and the authors are Benjamin J. Blaiszik, Sharlotte L. B. Kramer, Martha E. Grady, David A. McIlroy, Jeffrey S. Moore, Nancy R. Sottos and Scott R. White.

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