A new material created by researchers at Texas A&M University and the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory is 3D printable, self-healing, recyclable, and naturally adheres to itself in air or underwater. More from SlashGear:
The scientists say that the group of materials have properties that can be fine-tuned to either the softness of rubber or the strength of load-bearing plastics. Materials are able to self-heal within seconds and are 3D printable, making them ideally suited for more realistic prosthetics and soft robotics.
Researchers say that the material also has a broad range of military applications, including agile platforms for air vehicles and futuristic self-healing aircraft wings. Synthetic polymers are made up of long strings of repeating molecular motifs like the beads on a chain. An elastomer has long chains that are lightly cross-linked, giving the materials a rubbery quality.