Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent
Slashdot It! Slashdot U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent
Submit to Reddit Submit U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent to Reddit
Reading: U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparentTwitter This Reading: U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparentTwitter U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent
Add to Facebook Add U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent to Facebook

U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent

October 05, 2007

By mimicking a brick-and-mortar molecular structure found in seashells, University of Michigan researchers created a composite plastic that's as strong as steel but lighter and transparent.

It's made of layers of clay nanosheets and a water-soluble polymer that shares chemistry with white glue.




Engineering professor Nicholas Kotov almost dubbed it "plastic steel," but the new material isn't quite stretchy enough to earn that name. Nevertheless, he says its further development could lead to lighter, stronger armor for soldiers or police and their vehicles. It could also be used in microelectromechanical devices, microfluidics, biomedical sensors and valves and unmanned aircraft.

Kotov and other U-M faculty members are authors of a paper on this composite material, "Ultrastrong and Stiff Layered Polymer Nanocomposites," published in the Oct. 5 edition of Science.

The scientists solved a problem that has confounded engineers and scientists for decades: Individual nano-size building blocks such as nanotubes, nanosheets and nanorods are ultrastrong. But larger materials made out of bonded nano-size building blocks were comparatively weak. Until now.

"When you tried to build something you can hold in your arms, scientists had difficulties transferring the strength of individual nanosheets or nanotubes to the entire material," Kotov said. "We've demonstrated that one can achieve almost ideal transfer of stress between nanosheets and a polymer matrix."

The researchers created this new composite plastic with a machine they developed that builds materials one nanoscale layer after another.

The robotic machine consists of an arm that hovers over a wheel of vials of different liquids. In this case, the arm held a piece of glass about the size of a stick of gum on which it built the new material.

The arm dipped the glass into the glue-like polymer solution and then into a liquid that was a dispersion of clay nanosheets. After those layers dried, the process repeated. It took 300 layers of each the glue-like polymer and the clay nanosheets to create a piece of this material as thick as a piece of plastic wrap.

Mother of pearl, the iridescent lining of mussel and oyster shells, is built layer-by-layer like this. It's one of the toughest natural mineral-based materials.

The glue-like polymer used in this experiment, which is polyvinyl alcohol, was as important as the layer-by-layer assembly process. The structure of the "nanoglue" and the clay nanosheets allowed the layers to form cooperative hydrogen bonds, which gives rise to what Kotov called "the Velcro effect." Such bonds, if broken, can reform easily in a new place.

The Velcro effect is one reason the material is so strong. Another is the arrangement of the nanosheets. They're stacked like bricks, in an alternating pattern.

"When you have a brick-and-mortar structure, any cracks are blunted by each interface," Kotov explained. "It's hard to replicate with nanoscale building blocks on a large scale, but that's what we've achieved."

University of Michigan





Science News and Science Current Events Tag Cloud
This tag cloud is a visual representation of term frequencies of random science news topics with common terms grouped together and emphasized by their display size.
Fusion   Calcium   Cancer Drug   Marine Life   Heterochromatin   Atomic Clock   Saliva   Sea Level   Air Quality   RNA   Lou Gehrig's disease   Silver   Uterine Fibroids   Anxiety Disorders   Dietary Supplements   Air Pollution   Rett Syndrome   Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis   Rice   Corticosteroids   Iron   Astrocytes   Cosmic Radiation   Cannabis   Greenhouse Gases  
Related Plastic Current Events and Plastic News Articles Plastic Current Events and Plastic News RSS Plastic Current Events and Plastic News RSS
Composites for energy
Advanced composite materials are playing a vital role in improved design and reduced operating costs for renewable energy technologies.

Mini-beamer in a cell phone or PDA
A summer barbecue by the lake - as the sausages sizzle on the grill some of the party would like to watch the soccer on TV. Today, a choice has to be made whether to stay by the lake or watch the match on a big public screen or the TV set at home.

Plant Communication: Sagebrush Engage in Self-Recognition and Warn of Danger
"To thine own self be true" may take on a new meaning-not with people or animal behavior but with plant behavior.

Newborn weights affected by environmental contaminants
Recent epidemiological studies have revealed an increase in the frequency of genital malformations in male newborns (e.g., un-descended testes) and a decrease in male fertility.

Bisphenol A exposure in pregnant mice permanently changes DNA of offspring
Exposure during pregnancy to the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, found in many common plastic household items, is known to cause a fertility defect in the mother's offspring in animal studies, and now researchers have found how the defect occurs.

Hypospadias, a birth defect of the male urethra, is not increasing in New York state
In recent decades, there have been periodic reports of a worldwide decline in sperm count and quality.

'Smart' process may boost economics of biofuel production
Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory believe they've identified a simpler way to generate biofuels - a one-step process to convert cellulose found in plant material and other biomass into a chemical that can serve as a precursor to make fuels and plastics.

Most common brain cancer may originate in neural stem cells
University of Michigan scientists have found that a deficiency in a key tumor suppressor gene in the brain leads to the most common type of adult brain cancer.

Mayo Clinic finds new pathology tests double sensitivity to detect bile duct and pancreatic cancers
Pancreatic cancer and bile duct cancer are difficult to diagnose and often fatal because they are discovered in the advanced stages of the disease.

Did the North Atlantic fisheries collapse due to fisheries-induced evolution?
The Atlantic cod has, for many centuries, sustained major fisheries on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the North American fisheries have now largely collapsed.
More Plastic Current Events and Plastic News Articles
Plastics Handbook

Plastics Handbook
by Christopher Lefteri (Author)

Includes examples of cutting-edge design from across disciplines

From plastics with the strength and durability of metal, to mass-produced skins, sensuous plastics, and rental DVDs that expire 48 hours after you've opened the packaging, The Plastics Handbook offers a fascinating insight into the most innovative and unusual plastics for designers and manufacturers throughout the world.

This book gets under the skin of products and materials to reveal the hidden qualities of plastics, exploring the materials that surround us today, and those that will surround us tomorrow, together with their practical applications. The Plastics Handbook is your essential guide to who is making what, from contemporary designer materials to the products of the future, featuring facts and applications for...

Covalence Plastics 4ML CLR 10X50 10-by-50-Foot 4-Mil Clear Tyco Polyethylene Plastic Sheeting

Covalence Plastics 4ML CLR 10X50 10-by-50-Foot 4-Mil Clear Tyco Polyethylene Plastic Sheeting
by Covalence Plastics

Uses include an all purpose cover, vapor barrier, dust barrier, landscaping and concrete curing cover. Use for an equipment cover, vapor barrier, insulation, paint protection, or moisture barrier

Plastic Compilation, Vol. 1

Plastic Compilation, Vol. 1
by Various Artists



Plastics: Materials and Processing (3rd Edition)

Plastics: Materials and Processing (3rd Edition)
by A. Brent Strong (Author)

This book is designed to introduce plastics to a wide range of non-chemists who need to either gain, improve, or refresh their knowledge of plastic materials and manufacturing. It fully discusses both materials and manufacturing processes in a carefully-constructed and logical presentation. While providing a fundamental overview of a broad spectrum of topics, this book’s high level of detail makes it valuable as a professional reference manual. Complete examination of materials, processes and performance of plastics includes many recent developments–at the molecular, micro and macro levels–such as conductive polymers, nano technology, biodegradable polymers, bio-based raw materials, twin-sheet thermoforming, and...

Blue Zircon Medical Plastic Earrings

Blue Zircon Medical Plastic Earrings

Our earrings are the next generation in safe earring technology. Far beyond traditional hypoallergenic earrings for people with sensitive skin, Blomdahl Caring Earrings are a final solution to this problem. Using medical grade materials, both titanium and medical plastic, we have developed earrings that everyone can tolerate.Our Medical Plastic earrings are truly nickel free. They are the worlds only 0% nickel earrings. They are also latex free. There is 35 years experience with this material being non-reactive in the human body.Our Titanium earrings are made with homogeneous medical grade titanium. This is the same grade titanium used for surgical implants. Nickel allergy sufferers who are having difficulty with gold earrings can almost always wear our titanium earrings.

Crocodile Creek's Dinosaurs 4 Piece Children's Plastic Tumbler Set

Crocodile Creek's Dinosaurs 4 Piece Children's Plastic Tumbler Set
by Crocodile Creek

Drink up Snacktime and mealtime are more fun than ever with Crocodile Creeks Dinosaur Tumbler set. These delightfully-illustrated kid's tumblers conform to or exceed U.S. and European safety standards. Each tumbler in the 4 pack has a different dinosaur design.

Ball #37000 8 Pk Wide Mouth Plastic Caps

Ball #37000 8 Pk Wide Mouth Plastic Caps
by JARDEN HOME BRANDS

Ball/Kerr 8-Pack Wide-Mouth Plastic Storage Caps.

Plastic Compilation, Vol. 2

Plastic Compilation, Vol. 2
by Various Artists



Plastic

Plastic
by Christian Campos (Author)

Discover the world of plastic. That inexpensive, flexible, resilient, and soft-ignored material enters the limelight in this book of plastic furniture, lighting, architecture, and everyday objects.

This book showcases the work of dozens of international designers who take plastic seriously. No longer just used for objects of practicality, each of the varied projects included puts a new spin on how plastic works. From fruit baskets and penholders to bookshelves, lamps, and full rooms, the work featured in this book heralds a new age of plastic. Filled cover to cover with gorgeous color photography, Plastic is a valuable reference and source of inspiration for professionals, students, and design-lovers alike.



Master Mark 95340 Plastics Terrace Board Brown Landscape Edging 5-Inch by 40-Foot Coil

Master Mark 95340 Plastics Terrace Board Brown Landscape Edging 5-Inch by 40-Foot Coil
by Master Mark Plastics

- Terrace board - Create a raised layer of mulch, rocks or soil - Requires 10 stakes sold separately (1432-4107) - 5" x 40'

© 2009 BrightSurf.com