Scientists create plastic that ‘hardens’ when exposed to light

A revolutionary material created by scientists at the University of Texas at Austin could be the ultimate robotics solution to reproduce certain features of living things, such as skin and muscle. In the study published in the journal Thursday (13), Science, The researchers used only light and a catalyst to change properties such as hardness and elasticity. converted into molecules of the same type.

Conclusion – a material ten times stronger than natural rubber – resulted from the standardization of a strong field within an elastic field. For this, the authors used a binary catalyst system that produces what they call a “polyoctenamer” with both soft viscoelastic and other hard semicrystalline domains.

The big finding was being able to spatially control the polymer’s properties. These different materials connected together.

new @Scientific magazine From the page lab (https://t.co/49bgYXllV6). Here is a product of our creation displayed through crossed polarizers. ?? Read on to learn more about this story, a topic… ??1/16 pic.twitter.com/QVFGBpDuIj

— ZAPGroup (@ZPageGroup) 13 October 2022

How do scientists control the physical properties of the polymer?

“The ability to control crystallization, and therefore the physical properties of the material, with the application of light is potentially transformative for actuators in wearable electronics or lightweight robotics,” says Zachariah Page, an assistant professor of chemistry and one of the authors of the paper. .

The path to this conclusion began with a monomer, that is, a single “mer” (fragment) that binds to others to produce polymers with properties similar to the most commonly used plastic. But while testing this structure with several catalysts, one of them created a semicrystalline polymer like those found in synthetic rubber. when added to the monomer under visible light.

Hardening of the material in areas touched by light occurred at room temperature with the monomer and catalyst available in retail stores and the use of inexpensive blue LEDs. When the right substance is selected, the reaction takes less than an hour and does not require the use of any hazardous waste. The team will now create more objects to test the usability of the new material.

ARTICLE – Science – DOI: 10.1126/science.add6975.