All the materials used in certain applications are going to be damaged by external (or internal) influences sooner or later.
Such damage to the materials can lead to the failure of the component or of the entire device.
Therefore, for example, the service life of electricity storage or converters is limited.
FSHM can restore their original properties after damage
Originally, the self-healing of polymeric materials focused on typical mechanical properties.
Surface cracks can heal, and materials’ breaking strength can be (partially) restored. The fundamental self-healing principle in polymeric materials is applied to functional materials at HIPOLE Jena.
For instance, we are investigating self-healing in battery electrodes to restore conductivity after damage to the electrode. Comparable approaches could also be applied to solar cells.