In a new experiment, metal can heal itself;

The scientists observed that the metal was self-healing at ultra-small scales in a 40-nanometer-thick piece of platinum suspended in a vacuum.



The first time ;

Scientists for the first time have witnessed pieces of metal crack, then fuse back together without any human intervention, overturning fundamental scientific theories in the process. “If the newly discovered phenomenon can be harnessed, it could usher in an engineering revolution. 

Scientists stunned ;

A new experiment has left scientists stunned after a metal healed itself. Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University were testing the resilience of the metal, they were using a specialised transmission electron microscope technique to pull the ends of the metal 200 times every second,

A crack initially formed and spread. But about 40 minutes into the experiment, the metal fused back together.


The researchers called this healing “cold welding.”

Cold welding ;

“The cold welding process is a metallurgical process that is known to occur when two relatively smooth and clean surfaces of metal are brought together to reform atomic bonds,” said Sandia National Laboratories materials scientist Brad Boyce.


Uses ;

We can make self-healing engines, bridges, and airplanes could reverse damage caused by wear and tear, making them safer and longer-lasting,” as per a news release by US-based Sandia National Laboratories.


And, also make self-healing robot like Terminator.

What exactly happened ;

The self-healing crack was observed during an experiment at a US Department of Energy facility, when researchers meant to evaluate how cracks formed and spread through a nanoscale piece of platinum. They were using a specialised electron microscope technique they had developed to repeatedly pull on the ends of the metal 200 times per second.

 40 min in ;

About forty minutes into the experiment, one end of the crack fused back together as if retracing its steps, leaving no trace of the former injury and thereby, reversing the course of damage. Over time, the crack regrow along a different direction. It was called an “unprecedented insight”.


A domine of science friction;

Although scientists have created some self-healing materials, mostly plastics, the motion of a self-healing metal has largely been the domain of science fiction.

 “Cracks in metals were only ever expected to get bigger, not smaller. Even some of the basic equations we use to describe crack growth preclude the possibility of such healing processes,” Boyce said.

What is Fatigue damage?

“Fatigue damage is one way machines wear out and eventually break. Repeated stress or motion causes microscopic cracks to form. Over time, these cracks grow and spread until — snap! The whole device breaks, or in the scientific lingo, it fails,” as per the press release by Sandia Labs.


It Not possible in other metal 🤔 ?

Metal pieces were about 40 nanometers thick and a few micrometres wide. While the healing was observed in the experiments only in platinum and copper, Boyce said simulations indicated that self-healing can occur in other metals and that it is “entirely plausible” that alloys like steel could exhibit this quality.

“It’s possible to envisage materials tailored to take advantage of this behavior,” Boyce said.
“Given this new knowledge, there may be alternative material design strategies or engineering approaches that could be devised to help mitigate fatigue failure. In addition, this new understanding may shed light on fatigue failure in existing structures – improving our ability to interpret and predict such failures,” Boyce added.

Electron microscope;


The self-healing was observed in a very specific environment using a device called an electron microscope

Electron microscopes are used to investigate the ultra structure of a wide range of biological and inorganic specimens including microorganisms, cells, large molecules, biopsy samples, metals, and crystals. Industrially, electron microscopes are often used for quality control and failure analysis.


several different types of electron microscopes;

  • Transmission electron microscope (TEM),
  •  Scanning electron microscope (SEM),
  •   Reflection electron microscope (REM.)



Resolution of electron microscope images ranges from 0.2 to 10 nanometers — 10 to 1,000 times greater than a traditional light microscope.