(CNN) Many of us know all too well the frustration that comes of buying a shiny new gadget, only to see it smashed into a thousand pieces soon after.

But a new family of plastics offer insurance against these disasters, through unique properties that allow them to be reformed after being broken apart. Just add heat and a chemical catalyst, and watch the damage melt away.

Vitrimers are the brainchild of Ludwik Liebler, a materials scientist at the ESCPI Institute in Paris, the school made famous by Marie Curie's discovery of radioactivity.

Liebler's work has earned him the 2015 Inventor Award in the research category from the EPO (European Patent Office), and is expected to have a wide-ranging and transformative impact.

"We think that the first applications will be in transport, in cars, in planes, in all the applications you have that need toughness, for repair and increasing durability of your objects," says Liebler, who was inspired by the shape-shifting ways of the T-1000 in 'Terminator 2.'

Read More