Glassy Gels
Jun. 20th, 2024 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithResearchers create new class of materials called 'glassy gels'
Researchers have created a new class of materials called 'glassy gels' that are very hard and difficult to break despite containing more than 50% liquid. Coupled with the fact that glassy gels are simple to produce, the material holds promise for a variety of applications.
[---8<---]
"We've created a class of materials that we've termed glassy gels, which are as hard as glassy polymers, but -- if you apply enough force -- can stretch up to five times their original length, rather than breaking," says Michael Dickey, corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. "What's more, once the material has been stretched, you can get it to return to its original shape by applying heat. In addition, the surface of the glassy gels is highly adhesive, which is unusual for hard materials."
Oh yeah, I remember these -- stable liquids.
"Maybe the most intriguing characteristic of the glassy gels is how adhesive they are," says Dickey. "Because while we understand what makes them hard and stretchable, we can only speculate about what makes them so sticky."
I can think of several aspects:
* They contain a lot of liquid, and moist things tend to be tacky. Think of licking your finger to pick up crumbs.
* When something stretches and then contracts, it can create tiny lines of pinching action that grip things.
* Some surfaces have high traction that can make them clingy, like using a silicone potholder to grip a jar or lid.
* Ionized things can be clingy based on their electrochemical qualities.
* Some gels and polymers are glues. This category of materials could be glue-adjacent, meaning here it is a stable liquid but if you tweak it a bit, then it could turn into glue form.
... this is starting to remind me of Terramagne tacky gel. Now I want to electrocute the stuff and see if it can be made to change form by zapping it the right way.
"Creating glassy gels is a simple process that can be done by curing it in any type of mold or by 3D printing it," says Dickey. "Most plastics with similar mechanical properties require manufacturers to create polymer as a feedstock and then transport that polymer to another facility where the polymer is melted and formed into the end product.
That's going to be super useful in 3D printing. My first thought is to print customized grip pads to keep things from slipping. Especially if it is flexible enough to make a good suction cup. Make one for the bottom of your blender so it doesn't dance over the countertop. Suction bottoms exist but don't work as well as actual clamps.
I wish L-America would throw invention fairs. You know, invite a bunch of inventors to somewhere like a university that has a lot of labs and workshops. Stock a room with some old and new materials, then see what people come up with just screwing around and brainstorming under the influence of way too much caffeine and sugar.
Researchers have created a new class of materials called 'glassy gels' that are very hard and difficult to break despite containing more than 50% liquid. Coupled with the fact that glassy gels are simple to produce, the material holds promise for a variety of applications.
[---8<---]
"We've created a class of materials that we've termed glassy gels, which are as hard as glassy polymers, but -- if you apply enough force -- can stretch up to five times their original length, rather than breaking," says Michael Dickey, corresponding author of a paper on the work and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. "What's more, once the material has been stretched, you can get it to return to its original shape by applying heat. In addition, the surface of the glassy gels is highly adhesive, which is unusual for hard materials."
Oh yeah, I remember these -- stable liquids.
"Maybe the most intriguing characteristic of the glassy gels is how adhesive they are," says Dickey. "Because while we understand what makes them hard and stretchable, we can only speculate about what makes them so sticky."
I can think of several aspects:
* They contain a lot of liquid, and moist things tend to be tacky. Think of licking your finger to pick up crumbs.
* When something stretches and then contracts, it can create tiny lines of pinching action that grip things.
* Some surfaces have high traction that can make them clingy, like using a silicone potholder to grip a jar or lid.
* Ionized things can be clingy based on their electrochemical qualities.
* Some gels and polymers are glues. This category of materials could be glue-adjacent, meaning here it is a stable liquid but if you tweak it a bit, then it could turn into glue form.
... this is starting to remind me of Terramagne tacky gel. Now I want to electrocute the stuff and see if it can be made to change form by zapping it the right way.
"Creating glassy gels is a simple process that can be done by curing it in any type of mold or by 3D printing it," says Dickey. "Most plastics with similar mechanical properties require manufacturers to create polymer as a feedstock and then transport that polymer to another facility where the polymer is melted and formed into the end product.
That's going to be super useful in 3D printing. My first thought is to print customized grip pads to keep things from slipping. Especially if it is flexible enough to make a good suction cup. Make one for the bottom of your blender so it doesn't dance over the countertop. Suction bottoms exist but don't work as well as actual clamps.
I wish L-America would throw invention fairs. You know, invite a bunch of inventors to somewhere like a university that has a lot of labs and workshops. Stock a room with some old and new materials, then see what people come up with just screwing around and brainstorming under the influence of way too much caffeine and sugar.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-06-20 07:46 pm (UTC)Exactly this would be the field version of Baymax, parachuted in and deployed at mass casualty events. Heck, depending on the resilience, maybe even combat zones !
The anime showed why an inflatable Baymax wasn't the best idea ever... repeatedly. Still, probably just about ok for in an urban indoor setting.
Oh.. and I was thinking of glassy gel fibres threaded with wire, utilising resistive heating to make the fibre shrink.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2024-06-21 06:09 am (UTC)The original was meant like a first aid kit, so it needed to pack down small. Inflatable works well for that. A field unit won't be able to compress like that, but won't need to and will be be sturdier.
>>Oh.. and I was thinking of glassy gel fibres threaded with wire, utilising resistive heating to make the fibre shrink.<<
That should work.