#supermaterial

[lightresist]

Vollebak | world’s first graphene (one-atom thick transparent layer of carbon) jacket

[get-knows]

Researchers turn plastic bottle waste into ultralight supermaterial Researchers has found a way to turn plastic bottle waste into ultralight polyethylene terephthalate (PET) aerogels that are suitable for various applications, including heat insulation and carbon dioxide absorption. Source link

[didanawisgi]

Silk spun by graphene-fed spiders is one of the strongest materials on Earth

This enhanced silk is as strong as pure carbon fibers and Kevlar.

Spider webs are already strong enough to restrain small insects unlucky enough to fly into them, and soon, they may be capable of carrying the weight of a person.

In a new study published in 2D Materials, Nicola Pugno at the University of Trento in Italy and his team detail how they cranked arachnids’ already impressive metabolic process up to 11 by adding graphene and carbon nanotubes to a spider’s drinking water.

Afterward, the spider produced silk as it normally would, but the silk was five times stronger, putting it on par with the likes of pure carbon fibers and Kevlar — the strongest materials on Earth.

“We already know that there are biominerals present in the protein matrices and hard tissues of insects, which gives them high strength and hardness in their jaws, mandibles, and teeth, for example,” Pugno told The Sydney Morning Herald. “So our study looked at whether spider silk’s properties could be ‘enhanced’ by artificially incorporating various different nanomaterials into the silk’s biological protein structures.”

ONLY THE BEGINNING

The enhanced webbing is still in the early phases of research, and Pugno’s results were derived from just a small amount of spider silk, so far more testing is required. If all goes as hoped, the research could eventually lead to millions of enhanced spiders producing webbing that can be used to make parachutes, rope, cables, and more.

And those are just a few of the potential applications of this research. Pugno believes it could eventually be applied to creatures beyond spiders. “This process of the natural integration of reinforcements in biological structural materials could also be applied to other animals and plants, leading to a new class of ‘bionicomposites’ for innovative applications,” he asserted.

Regardless of where Pugno’s work takes us, it provides yet another example of graphene’s versatility. In the last month alone, the material has been used to make health-tracking tattoos, construct unbreakable rubber bands, and cause electrons to flow like water. The super material is now giving living creatures arguably super abilities, and who knows what could be next?

[yukisumner]

'Aluminium injected with air' ...what not to like! #supermaterial exhibition @thebuildingcentre (at Store Street)

[silp]

Supermaterial de la NASA que puedes tocar a 1.200 grados

Supermaterial de la NASA que puedes tocar a 1.200 grados

Para la NASA, mandar el transbordador al espacio era una operación increíblemente costosa, pero traerlo de vuelta de una pieza era todavía más complicado. En el descenso, con una atmósfera cada vez más densa, el transbordador soportaba una increíble temperatura debido al rozamiento.

Para evitar que se convirtiese en una bola de fuego la NASA usaba unas placas cerámicas especiales capaces de…

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[ishiganto]

Amazing aspects of Aerogel

http://gizmodo.com/amazing-aerogel-eight-looks-at-the-ghostly-supermateri-1525014861/@AnnaleeNewitz

[danvogelsong]

I've always had a hunch that Algae was going to save the world. I'm glad that I was right. This stuff is SO COOL

[wildcat2030]

Bamboo is being hailed as a new super material, with uses ranging from textiles to construction. It also has the potential to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, the biggest greenhouse gas, and provide some of the world's poorest people with cash. Bamboo's image is undergoing a transformation. Some now call it "the timber of the 21st Century". Today you can buy a pair of bamboo socks or use it as a fully load-bearing structural beam in your house - and it is said that there are some 1,500 uses for it in between. There is a rapidly growing recognition of the ways in which bamboo can serve us as consumers and also help to save the planet from the effects of climate change because of its unrivalled capacity to capture carbon. "From the field and the forest to the factory and the merchant, from the design studio to the laboratory, from the universities to those in political power, people are more and more aware of this potentially renewable resource," says Michael Abadie, who took up the presidency of the World Bamboo Organisation last year. (via BBC News - Booming bamboo: The next super-material?)