title: Autonomic restoration of electrical conductivity.
abstract: Self-healing of an electrical circuit is demonstrated with nearly full recovery of conductance less than one millisecond after damage. Crack damage breaks a conductive pathway in a multilayer device, interrupting electron transport and simultaneously rupturing adjacent microcapsules containing gallium-indium liquid metal (top). The released liquid metal flows to the area of damage, restoring the conductive pathway (bottom).
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1304 W. Green St. Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Blaiszik
authors.forename: Sharlotte L B
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: Martha E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Grady
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: McIlroy
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Nancy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Sottos
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D004553:Electric Conductivity; D055615:Electrical Equipment and Supplies; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; D013696:Temperature