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Location: Blogs Arsham Koosha NewsPublic News |
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| Posted by: host |
1/22/2007 |
| SAN JOSE: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a substitute to the stretchy and strong properties of spider silk called polymeric nanocomposites for use in packaging materials, tear-resistant fabrics and biomedical devices. The institute informed that the research was funded by the US Army through MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies and by the National Science Foundation as the US military is interested in such materials for use in future applications, such as tear-resistant films or other body-armor components. The researchers developed a process to embed the clay chips in a rubbery polymer by first dissolving them in water, then slowly exchanging water for a solvent that also dissolves polyurethane and dissolved the polymer in the new mixture, and finally removed the solvent. The end result is a nanocomposite of stiff clay particles dispersed throughout a stretchy matrix that is now stronger and tougher. The clay platelets are distributed randomly in the material. Consequently the nanocomposite material is reinforced in every direction and the material exhibits very little distortion even when heated to temperatures above 150 degrees Celsius. Further, the military is also interested in these materials for soldiers' MREs (meals ready to eat) to replace the thick and bulky packaging now used. However, fabrics companies have also expressed interest in the new materials, which can be used to make fibers similar to stretchy compounds such as nylon or Lycra. The new approach to making nanocomposites can also be applied to biocompatible polymers and could be used to make stents and other biomedical devices, while engineers are already able to create materials that are either strong or stretchy, but it has been difficult to achieve both qualities. Earlier, scientists have determined that the secret behind the combined strength and flexibility of spider silk lies in the arrangement of the nano-crystalline reinforcement of the silk and the strength and flexibility comes from this nanoscale crystalline reinforcement. |
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