Phys.org October 18, 2022 Researchers in China have developed a simple and robust strategy that combines natural thioctic acid and mussel-inspired iron-catechol complexes to enable ultra-strong adhesive materials that can be used underwater and simultaneously exhibit unprecedented high adhesion strength on diverse surfaces. Their experimental results showed that the robust crosslinking interaction of the iron-catechol complexes as well as high-density hydrogen bonding were responsible for the ultra-high interfacial adhesion strength. The embedding effect of the hydrophobic solvent-free network of poly(disulfides) further enhanced the water-resistance. The network also made possible the resulting materials reconfigurable, thus enabling multiple reusability via repeated heating […]
Category Archives: Advanced materials
Researchers aim to solve the rare earths crisis
Phys.org October 18, 2022 Researchers have been searching for new magnetic materials that can act as substitutes for the critically scarce components. Researchers at Northeastern University have patented a process to accelerate the creation of a rare earth magnet alternative using tetrataenite, whose magnetic properties make it a leading candidate to replace magnets made of the scarce material. To make the new magnet they altered the atomic structures of its iron and nickel components by arranging them into a crystal structure that resembles tetrataenite. Industrial permanent magnets are used to transfer energy from mechanical to electrical sources. The list of […]
Researchers develop novel robust superhydrophobic coating
Phys.org October 18, 2022 Fragile hierarchical structures, fluorine-containing chemicals usage, and strict requirements for substrate scopes in biomimetic superhydrophobic coating remain thorny challenges. Researchers in China constructed a mechanical robust superhydrophobic ZnO@STA@PDMS coating with fluorine-free reagents through wide-applicable and substrate-independent spray-coating method. Different analyses and contact angle meter were used to assess the surface micro-nano structures, chemical compositions, thermal stability, and wettability variations. The corrosion resistance of the coating was reduced by two orders of magnitude after being spray-coated with superhydrophobic ZnO@STA@PDMS indicating excellent corrosion resistance in marine submerged zone. In simulated marine atmospheric conditions with high relative humidity, the […]
‘Smart plastic’ material is step forward toward soft, flexible robotics and electronics
Science Daily October 13, 2022 An organized combination of stiff and elastic domains within a single material can synergistically tailor bulk mechanical properties. Researchers at UT Austin have developed a rapid, facile, and environmentally benign method to pattern strong and stiff semicrystalline phases within soft and elastic matrices using stereo-controlled ring-opening metathesis polymerization of an industrial monomer, cis-cyclooctene. Dual polymerization catalysis dictates polyolefin backbone chemistry, which enabled patterning of compositionally uniform materials with seamless stiff and elastic interfaces. Visible light–induced activation of a metathesis catalyst resulted in the formation of semicrystalline trans polyoctenamer rubber, outcompeting the formation of cis polyoctenamer […]
Advanced fabric that can cool a wearer down and warm them up
Nanowerk October 11, 2022 Textiles incorporated with phase changing materials (PCMs) can bridge the supply and demand for energy by absorbing and releasing latent heat. The integration of solar heating and the Joule heating function supplies multidriving resources, facilitates energy charging and storage, and expands the service time and application scenarios. Researchers in Japan have developed a fibrous membrane-based textile by designing the hierarchical core–sheath fiber structure for trimode thermal management. Coaxial electrospinning allows an effective encapsulation of PCMs, with high heat enthalpy density enabling the membrane to buffer drastic temperature changes in the clothing microclimate. The favorable photothermal conversion […]
Engineers develop a new kind of shape-memory material
MIT News October 5, 2022 Researchers at MIT used computational thermodynamics, phase transformation physics, crystallographic calculations, and machine learning to solve the problem of creating a material that can actuate without accumulating damage, thus making it possible for it to function reliably as a shape-memory material through many cycles of use resulting in a new variation of zirconia. They introduced some atoms of different elements into its structure in a way that altered some of its properties. The elements dissolved into the lattice, and they sculpt it, and changed that transformation, made it more gentle at the atomic scale. The […]
Researchers develop ultra-strong aerogels with materials used in bullet-proof vests
Science Daily October 3, 2022 Researchers in Hong Kong have developed new type of polymer aerogel material involving self-assembled 3D networks of aramid nanofiber composites with high nodal connectivity and strong crosslinking between fibrils. Theoretical simulations of 3D networks revealed that these features at fibrillar joints may lead to an enhancement of macroscopic mechanical properties by orders of magnitude even with a constant level of solid content. They verified that polymeric aerogels achieved both high specific tensile modulus and fracture energy which are advantageous for diverse structural applications. According to the researchers the fabrication process is simple, the material can […]
Scientists use modified silk proteins to create new nonstick surfaces
Science Daily September 23, 2022 Silk fibroin protein, a biomaterial, has excellent biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. It is used in stents, catheters, and wound dressings. To further expand its scope and utility a team of researchers in the US (Tufts University, California State University at Fresno) has modulated the hydrophobicity of silk fibroin protein. They found that installing perfluorocarbon chains on the surface of silk fibroin transforms this water-soluble protein into a hydrophobic polymer that can be solvent-cast. A clear relationship emerged between fluorine content of the modified silk and film hydrophobicity. Water contact angles of the most decorated silk […]
The building blocks for exploring new exotic states of matter
Nanowerk September 17, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – UCLA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Colorado, Northeastern University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Harvard University, Taiwan, India) developed an intrinsic ferromagnetic topological insulator with three nonmagnetic layers of Bi2Te3 between layers of MnBi2Te4, which when combined, created MnBi8Te13. This material design increases the distance between the MnBi2Te4 layers, which successfully eliminated the antiferromagnetic effect, leading to long-range ferromagnetism below 10.5 K with strong coupling between magnetism and charge carriers. They used a combination of synthesis, characterization tools, and theory to confirm the structure and properties of new magnetic […]
Researchers propose new technology for aviation materials to allow for adjusting their properties
Phys.org September 19, 2022 Most of the carbon fiber composites used currently are based on epoxy resin and other non-melting, insoluble materials that are not recyclable. Researchers in Russia have created a new composite material based on engineering thermoplastic polymers and carbon fiber. For matrix they used polyethersulfone powder which has excellent mechanical properties and resistant to high temperatures, steam, and various chemicals. Unlike epoxy it is recyclable. They determined the optimal content of carbon fibers for airborne composites based on polyethersulfone to be 60–70% of the total weight of the structure. The properties of the material can be adjusted […]