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Nanoscale

A new peer reviewed journal publishing experimental and theoretical work across the breadth of nanoscience and nanotechnology



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Nanoscale, 2009, 1, 74 - 88, DOI: 10.1039/b9nr00146h

Self-healing at the nanoscale

Vincenzo Amendola and Moreno Meneghetti

The design of self-healing materials is a very important but challenging topic in nanotechnology. Self-healing strategies, also inspired by natural processes, allow the fabrication of auto-repairing systems, and in recent years, materials engineering at the nanoscale has allowed further advances in this emerging field. In this mini review, we recall some interesting self-healing systems found in natural processes and others created by man-made activity with special emphasis on the role played in this field by nanostructures. Finally, the self-healing of gold nanoparticles during laser irradiation is considered in more detail since it is a rare example of a functional nanomaterial with self-repairing properties.

Graphical abstract image for this article (ID: b9nr00146h)