Self Healing Materials for Long-Duration Space Missions
Sabrina O’Grady, Cailin Rugema, Aditya Sinha
DAV Public School, Pune, India
Publication date: April 2, 2026
DAV Public School, Pune, India
Publication date: April 2, 2026
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/JIYRC2025II67
ABSTRACT
Self-healing materials, inspired by biological systems, offer a revolutionary solution to enhance spacecraft's durability, sustainability, and safety during long-duration missions. These materials autonomously repair damage caused by micrometeoroid impacts, extreme temperature fluctuations, and radiation, reducing the need for costly and risky in-space repairs. This literature review synthesizes advancements in polymer-based, metallic, and hybrid self-healing materials, analyzing their mechanisms, applications, and limitations. Key findings include the effectiveness of intrinsic (e.g., Diels-Alder reactions) and extrinsic (e.g., microcapsule-based) healing mechanisms in polymers, the high performance of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in metallic composites, and liquid metals. The review proposes future directions, such as nanotechnology integration, bio-inspired designs, and in-orbit validation, to address challenges like weight, scalability, and energy consumption. These materials hold transformative potential for safer, longer space missions. This research paper will review and analyze case studies to progress and improve the applications of self-healing polymers in aerospace.
Self-healing materials, inspired by biological systems, offer a revolutionary solution to enhance spacecraft's durability, sustainability, and safety during long-duration missions. These materials autonomously repair damage caused by micrometeoroid impacts, extreme temperature fluctuations, and radiation, reducing the need for costly and risky in-space repairs. This literature review synthesizes advancements in polymer-based, metallic, and hybrid self-healing materials, analyzing their mechanisms, applications, and limitations. Key findings include the effectiveness of intrinsic (e.g., Diels-Alder reactions) and extrinsic (e.g., microcapsule-based) healing mechanisms in polymers, the high performance of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in metallic composites, and liquid metals. The review proposes future directions, such as nanotechnology integration, bio-inspired designs, and in-orbit validation, to address challenges like weight, scalability, and energy consumption. These materials hold transformative potential for safer, longer space missions. This research paper will review and analyze case studies to progress and improve the applications of self-healing polymers in aerospace.
