Imagine a fabric that could take a bullet, stretch, and then heal itself—much like Superman's indestructible suit. Scientists at Texas AM University have developed a groundbreaking polymer that behaves in just such a way, offering the potential to protect astronauts and spacecraft from high-speed space debris.

This new material demonstrates a remarkable property never before seen at any scale. When struck by a high-velocity projectile, it stretches significantly and allows the object to pass through, but only carries a minimal amount of material with it. The result is a much smaller puncture than the size of the projectile itself. So far, this effect has only been observed at extremely small scales and under high-temperature conditions.

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"This is the first time such behavior has been recorded in any material, regardless of scale," said Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She collaborated with Dr. Edwin (Ned) Thomas and former graduate student Dr. Zhen Sang on the project. Their findings were recently published in Materials Today.

Beyond its intriguing capabilities, the polymer could play a vital role in improving the resilience of spacecraft windows, which are regularly exposed to micrometeoroids traveling at speeds of up to 10 kilometers per second. These tiny space projectiles can visibly damage spacecraft windows. A layer of this polymer could reduce the size of that damage, making it even smaller than the meteoroid that caused it.

Dr. Thomas, who proposed ballistic testing of the material, emphasized that this technology could also benefit military armor and structural components on Earth, in addition to space applications like satellites and orbiters.

When hit by a projectile, the polymer absorbs the kinetic energy, causing it to stretch and partially melt. As the projectile exits, the film cools quickly, and the material’s covalent bonds reform, effectively healing itself and leaving only a minuscule hole. This rapid transformation allows the material to maintain functionality after an impact—critical for applications involving fluid containment or atmospheric integrity.

“One of our primary goals was to see if the material could not only absorb a lot of kinetic energy per unit mass but also heal quickly enough to continue performing its function after impact,” said Thomas.

The polymer, called DAP (Diels-Alder Polymer), is part of a group of materials known as Covalent Adaptive Networks (CANs), which feature reversible bond networks. While other Diels-Alder-based materials exist, DAP’s specific chemistry, network structure, and healing behavior are entirely novel. Its name also reflects its dynamic and action-ready performance—a material engineered to endure impact and recover in real time.