Integrated damage sensing and self-healing in polymers and composites: Progress and opportunities

Biological materials can sense damage and repair themselves over their lifetime, helping maintain function and longevity. The abstract contrasts this with synthetic materials, which typically have fixed performance and limited ability to adapt to environmental damage. The article argues that polymeric materials could benefit from these bioinspired, autonomic sensing-and-repair capabilities to improve lifetime and reduce sustainability impacts. It highlights fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites as important because they are used in large structures and are difficult to recycle. A key limitation noted is that intelligent material systems combining damage sensing and self-healing are largely limited to soft polymers. The article examines sensing/healing attributes in living materials, compares them with synthetic approaches developed over 20+ years, and identifies features and insights aimed at overcoming remaining challenges.