It is a material inspired by the layers of the skin and its ability to regenerate.

https://kek.gg/i/7YDqQ3.png

**This image may disappear in a few years.**

The name has fabric on it and we will have to start looking for a more attractive and simple one: self-regenerative intelligent coatings. But the reality is that in a few years they may become commonplace on our mobile devices, as they will make scratches and screen breaks a thing of the past. Until now, one of the biggest obstacles in the development of these materials was the compromise between strength and self-repair capacity. Recently, Tokyo University experts created a self-healing material under pressure. Now, scientists at the Harbin Institute of Technology (China), led by Ming Yang, report in ACS Nano on the development of an intelligent coating that is as hard as dental enamel (the hardest mineral in the human body and also present, in lesser density, in the bones), but can heal itself as the skin.

The smart coatings market is a booming industry and is expected to grow in the coming years. The most common intelligent coatings that can repair themselves are based on soft polymers that wear quickly. But hard coatings can be too rigid to re-join and repair scratches. Yang's team produced a more rigid and repairable coating.

Imitating the structure of human skin, researchers used a layer-by-layer technique to form a smooth, dynamic lower layer containing polyvinyl alcohol and tannic acid. The outer layer, on the other hand, was hard and contained these compounds, plus a layer of graphene oxide. When manufactured at a given thickness, the material was successfully repaired when broken. It also proved to be an effective anti-baterian. The material could one day serve as an electronic coating or even a scratch-proof coating on buildings or phones.