Non-Catalytic Self Healing Composite Material Solution

Fiber reinforce polymer (FRP) composite materials are seeing increasing use in the construction of a wide variety of aerospace structures. However, uncertainties regarding the material's impact durability continue to plague the FRP composites community. To address this need, ADA Technologies, Inc. (ADA), Littleton, CO, in partnership with the University of Delaware's Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM), Newark, DE, propose the development of a novel, non-catalytic, fully passive, self-healing polymer for use as a fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) matrix material If successful, the proposed technology will provide fully autonomous self-healing without the use of a catalyst. Further, while the proposed program is largely focused on demonstrating self-healing capabilities in FRP material form, the proposed technology is broadly applicable to next-generation polymer-based composites such as carbon nanotube reinforced composites (i.e., polymer nanocomposites).

Beyond NASA, the proposed technology could see use in virtually any large-scale, structural composite application where damage tolerance is of great concern. Potential applications include commercial and military satellites and aircraft, military naval marine vessels, wind and water turbine blades, automobiles and sporting goods among many others. Improvements based on the proposed technology would allow reductions in component mass (i.e., due to increased structural efficiency) as well as reductions in maintenance costs thereby increasing the commercial viability of the target application.

If successful, the proposed self-healing polymer technology would greatly increase the damage tolerance of current FRP composite materials as well as future, next-generation polymer nanocomposites. The resulting increase in composite durability would greatly increase the structural efficiency of vehicle designs as well as increase their overall lifetime. Ultimately, the proposed technology would allow for reductions in weight for space exploration vehicles thereby reducing the cost of space exploration (i.e., due to reduced launch costs).

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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