Sunday, February 06, 2022

New 2D polymeric material is stronger than steel and light as plastic

Amazing stuff! This could be a major breakthrough!

"Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.

The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form one-dimensional, spaghetti-like chains. Until now, scientists had believed it was impossible to induce polymers to form 2D sheets. ...
The researchers have filed for two patents on the process they used to generate the material ..."

From the abstract:
"Polymers that extend covalently in two dimensions have attracted recent attention as a means of combining the mechanical strength and in-plane energy conduction of conventional two-dimensional (2D) materials with the low densities, synthetic processability and organic composition of their one-dimensional counterparts.  ...  Here we demonstrate a homogenous 2D irreversible polycondensation that results in a covalently bonded 2D polymeric material that is chemically stable and highly processable. Further processing yields highly oriented, free-standing films that have a 2D elastic modulus and yield strength of 12.7 ± 3.8 gigapascals and 488 ± 57 megapascals, respectively.  ..."

New lightweight material is stronger than steel | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology The new substance is the result of a feat thought to be impossible: polymerizing a material in two dimensions.

No comments: