Self healing graphene - wonder material properties never cease!

There appear to be no end to the surprises that graphene can heap onto the scientific world. Work at the UK STFC Daresbury Laboratory using the SuperSTEM has shown that graphene undertakes a self-repair mechanism to mend holes. The group had previously observed that metals can initiate the formation of holes in graphene sheets. However recently they have seen that some of the holes were mending themselves spontaneously using nearby carbon atoms to re-knit the graphene structure. Having the capability of structures to reform or self-knit following, for example, a fabrication process would be a beneficial feature for nano device engineers.