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release date
May 30, 2018
Scott R. White, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois and an innovator in self-healing and self-adjusting materials, died of cancer on Monday, May 28, at the age of 55.
White became internationally recognized as an expert in autonomous materials, or materials that can adapt or respond on their own. His research group at the IU Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology has developed self-healing plastics, electronics, batteries, and coatings. Coatings and materials showing signs of damage or distortion. Self-destruct devices to reduce electronic waste. Many other innovations to make materials safer and more reliable on both the micro and macro scale.
“Scott worked at the forefront of research into self-healing materials. But along with a brilliant mind, tenacity, perseverance and foresight were some of the traits that shaped Scott.” Beckman Institute Director said Jeffrey S. Moore, White’s longtime collaborator. “Scott battled cancer for many years, but managed to advance his research through this process. He cared deeply for his students and pushed them to achieve their best. After each paper presented, he began the next meeting by saying, “Don’t rest on your laurels.” ”
White has developed several types of self-healing and adaptable materials. For example, they designed a material embedded with microcapsules that burst when cracked or damaged, filling the crack and “repairing” the plastic or circuit. He also developed microcapsule technology that makes lithium-ion batteries last longer and less likely to burst or catch fire.
Not content to be limited to one self-healing pathway, White’s group developed angiogenic materials, composites filled with microfluidic channels that closely resemble biological circulatory systems. This vascular structure allowed his group to further develop plastics that could not only repair cracks but also regenerate defective areas. Watch a video of White discussing his work.
White’s group also investigated the use of mechanophores (materials whose properties change under mechanical stress) to develop polymers and coatings that change color to indicate damage, strain, cracks, and scratches. Most recently, the group developed a polymer curing process to produce strong, lightweight parts for aircraft and vehicles using tens of millions of times less energy.
White earned his doctorate in engineering mechanics from Pennsylvania State University in 1990 and joined the Iconic University faculty the same year. He has received over 40 of his patents and co-founded two start-up companies. His work has received wide recognition, including the 2013 Humboldt Research Award and the 2014 American Composites Association Outstanding Research Award. scientific american In 2007, he received the magazine’s “SciAm 50” award. He has also received multiple teaching and mentorship awards for his work with students at the University of Illinois.
Mr. White is survived by his wife, Nancy Sottos, a professor of materials science and engineering, three children, two grandchildren, and his parents.
