The ‘skeleton’ model of the new material is made from DNA and glass – Photo: ScienceDaily
The new material is the result of research by scientists at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the US and partners.
according to the news site science dailyThis new material has the potential to help improve many different things, like cars and armor. What is surprising is that it is made of two unlikely things: DNA (nucleic acid) and glass.
Mr. Seok-Woo Lee, a materials scientist at UConn, claims that the new material is the most durable of all known materials.
Mr. Li and colleagues from the University of UConn, Columbia University and Brookhaven National Laboratory published their discovery in the journal Nature. Cell Reports Physiology.
He used DNA nanotechnology. This technique involves creating microscopic structures from DNA (nucleic acid). This technology was first established and developed by American scientist Nadrian Seaman.
according to the news site greek reporter, the team used self-assembled DNA to build the structure. It is similar to a children’s Magna-tiles jigsaw puzzle, in that specific DNA fragments of specific lengths and chemical properties naturally come together.
Once the DNA “skeleton” was in place, the researchers coated it with silica. Silica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a chemical compound with high hardness and does not exist in a single form, but rather linked together in very large molecules. Pure silica is a type of glass.
The silica coating is only a few hundred atoms thick. It covered only the surface of the DNA strands, while the inside was as empty as the spare rooms of a house. However, it is these internal voids that make the new material significantly lighter.
The team’s choice of using glass as the new material was surprising because glass is known to be fragile. However, the reason tempered glass is brittle is often because of imperfections in its structure, such as cracks, scratches, or missing atoms.
When glass is unstained it becomes extremely strong. In fact, an ideal cubic centimeter of glass can withstand extreme pressures of up to tens of tons.
(TagstoTranslate)nanotechnology
