The same material that makes golf balls tough may soon make bullet holes vanish in 'self-healing' aircraft fuel tanks," says New Scientist.
Recently, US [Navy] scientists discovered that a commercially sold polymer - used to coat bowling pins, helmets, and golf balls - displays a curious property when shot at: it can immediately "pave over" the bullet holes.
Now, a team led by Christopher Coughlin, a materials engineer at the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, is trying to understand why the polymer self-heals. He hopes one day it can be used to help aircraft fuel tanks recover quickly from enemy fire.
