MIT engineers have developed a new intelligent self-reinforcing polymer material

Inspiration is a lightning bolt on the road to scientific research. Recently, chemical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Riverside, inspired by the plant's growth process, developed a new polymer that reacts with carbon dioxide in the air, increasing the strength of the polymer. This material has good application potential in the field of protective coatings and building materials
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M.S. Institute of Technology engineers developed a new intelligent self-reinforcing polymer material
In this conceptual experiment, the team extracted yeucles from spinach leaves, which, although not living, can still stimulate carbon dioxide into glucose. However, a single isolated leafy body loses this function in just a few hours after it is extracted from the plant. To do this, Michael Strano, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the research team, and others have studied a variety of ways to extend the catalytic activity of chlorogres, and polymers can also obtain carbon dioxide from the air."Our study is to prepare a synthetic material that can grow like a tree, get carbon from carbon dioxide, and introduce it into the molecular structure of the material," said
Michael Strano,
MIT engineers who developed the new intelligent self-reinforcing polymer material.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the new material uses a gel and a leafy body that contains a polymer made from amino methyl acrylamide and glucose, which increases the strength of the material when carbon is introduced into the molecular structure. Although current research has not yet made the material strong available as a building body material, it can be used as a coating material or a seam filling material.
, the research and development team is working to optimize the performance of the material and has begun to study methods of large-scale production, with much work to be done in the practical application of building materials and synthetic materials. It is worth mentioning that when the new material is exposed to sunlight or a specific indoor light source environment, it stimulates self-healing without fear of damage to the surface of the material.
"Carbon dioxide is everywhere
, and carbon is one of the fundamental elements that make up our world, of ourselves, and from a materials science perspective, the use of rich carbon as a material is a meaningful research project," said Michael Strano of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It
that the U.S. Department of Energy decided to support another new research project led by Michael Strano to further develop new materials.
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