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Heal thyself! Exponentially grown layer-by-layer-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings, which are mechanically robust under ambient conditions, can autonomically repair cuts several tens of micrometers deep and wide when they are simply immersed in water or when water is sprayed on the coatings. The self-healing ability originates from the high flowability of these coatings in water.
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Wang et al. (2011) studied this question.
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