addition of or exposure to a chemical yet other ways include applied force or pressure or the introduction of a chemical to break the encapsulation for the catalyst the catalyst can be selectively deposited to straddle the expected pay zones so that in the region of expected production the tubular will remain unhardened and could permit production while above or below that zone the expanded tubular is hardened to preclude production or channeling between zones the healing agent 24 can be similarly distributed the fracture healing feature is an adaptation of the process developed at the university of illinois champaign urbana and adapted to a tubular structure for downhole use those skilled in the art will appreciate that the light weight and corrosion resistance of composites are advantages in wellbore applications previously the brittle nature of fully formed composite tubes has precluded their use downhole where expansion was contemplated however by delaying the polymerization reaction the tubular 14 can be delivered to the desired location and expanded without the fear of cracking the act of expansion triggers the reactions to allow the tubular to develop full strength the expansion also allows the tubular 14 to conform to the shape of a surrounding tubular or the borehole within limits before the reaction bringing it to full strength commences alternatively the tubular 14 can be made of a shape memory material that originally has a desired final diameter the preformed material is heated under.