Скачать или смотреть New asphalt repairs its own cracks

They're a common sight on many roads and the bane of motorists' lives, but potholes could soon be a thing of the past thanks to nano-technology.

Researchers in Switzerland have patented a method that repairs stress-induced cracks in asphalt to prevent potholes forming in the first place and could double the life span of roads embedded with the technology.

A precise amount of iron oxide nanoparticles are mixed with bitumen - the sticky, viscous black binder obtained from crude oil and used to keep road material together.

Ever-so slightly heating up this asphalt using a small magnetic field melts the bitumen, allowing it to seep into the minute cracks to 'self-heal'.

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