Posted on 02/03/2022 6:30:32 PM PST by BenLurkin
The new material is a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form one-dimensional, spaghetti-like chains.
Such a material could be used as a lightweight, durable coating for car parts or cell phones, or as a building material for bridges or other structures...
Strano and his colleagues came up with a new polymerization process that allows them to generate a two-dimensional sheet called a polyaramide. For the monomer building blocks, they use a compound called melamine, which contains a ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms. Under the right conditions, these monomers can grow in two dimensions, forming disks. These disks stack on top of each other, held together by hydrogen bonds between the layers, which make the structure very stable and strong.
Because the material self-assembles in solution, it can be made in large quantities by simply increasing the quantity of the starting materials. The researchers showed that they could coat surfaces with films of the material, which they call 2DPA-1.
The researchers found that the new material’s elastic modulus — a measure of how much force it takes to deform a material — is between four and six times greater than that of bulletproof glass. They also found that its yield strength, or how much force it takes to break the material, is twice that of steel, even though the material has only about one-sixth the density of steel.
Another key feature of 2DPA-1 is that it is impermeable to gases. While other polymers are made from coiled chains with gaps that allow gases to seep through, the new material is made from monomers that lock together like LEGOs, and molecules cannot get between them.
(Excerpt) Read more at scitechdaily.com ...
Hurry, lets make sure the Chinese get the formula as soon as possible!
Impermeable to gas: high pressure hydrogen tanks for automotive applications!
It needs to be light as styrofoam. Then I’ll buy.
10 lbs less armor = 10 lbs more C-4.
The weight of a combat load hasn’t changed appreciably since Roman times.
Or electronics or more bullets, I suppose.
It’s still a good thing if you can become more offensive because you were lighter on the defensive side without losing capability.
Did you want two lanes or four?
Extra points for the first to post the set-up for that punchline...
AlON - AluminumOxyNitride
Michael, we’re stronger than U. S. Steel!
Agreed!!!
Atlas Shrugged
Lets see it action or it might as well be a smart gun.
When can we take a hammer to the cell phone?
When I get to “field test test” the product I’ll be impressed, until then I’m a sceptic of the hype.
anti emp coating?
Very useful for armoring Skynet datacentres and drones to protect them against humans.
Or transparent aluminum?
Who gives it to China and how much do they get?
So they discovered how to synthesize the liberal reality distortion field?
And much easier than explaining women.
It is already being used on all the food packaging. Forget the vaccination, the food packages are designed to starve anyone over 60, as one cannot open them.
They’ll be Spandex Jackets, one for everyone! - Secret Agent Man
How about straight jackets for Democrats?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.