(July 25, 2012) Summary:
Masaru Yoshida (Leader) and
Takahiro Yamamoto (Researcher), Smart Materials Group, the Nanosystem Research
Institute (Director: Kiyoshi Yase) of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology (AIST; President: Tamotsu Nomakuchi), have developed a
gel material (a composite gel of polymer particles and a liquid crystal) that
can repair damage to itself by light irradiation. The developed gel material
can repair a small scratch on it in a short time by controlling its sol and gel
states using light on the basis of photoisomerization of a photoresponsive
material in the gel. This scratch-repairing process can be repeated. In
addition, when transition to the sol state occurs due to large shear strain,
the material quickly returns to the gel state by removing the applied strain.
The technology that can control
the sol-gel transition of a material using light is expected to be a
fundamental materials technology. Use of such materials in coatings that can be
repaired with light will increase the durability and lifetime of products and
can thereby contribute to resource savings and reduction in environmental
loads.