Science Daily August 23, 2021
An international team of researchers (Switzerland, UK) developed a new type of laminate that changes color as soon as the material is deformed. The laminate is composed of alternating layers of a plastic polymer and artificial nacre or mother-of-pearl and is modelled on the biological example of the mussel shell. It consists of glass platelets arranged in parallel, which are compacted, sintered, and solidified using a polymeric resin making it extremely hard and break-resistant. The second layer consists of a polymer and an indicator molecule synthesised specifically for this application. The molecule is activated as soon as the polymer experiences stretching forces which changes its fluorescence. The more the material stretches and the more of these molecules are activated, the more intense the fluorescence becomes. This allows early detection of vulnerable areas in a structure before catastrophic failure occurs. The technology has application in the early detection of failure in load- bearing structures found in buildings, aircraft, or vehicles… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Abstract. Credit: ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 13, 23, 27481–27490, June 2, 2021