Nanocomposite research yields strong and stretchy fibers

Creating artificial substances that are both stretchy and strong has long been an elusive engineering goal. Inspired by spider silk, a naturally occurring strong and stretchy substance, MIT researchers have now devised a way to produce a material that begins to mimic this combination of desirable properties. Such materials, known as polymeric nanocomposites, could be used to strengthen and toughen packaging materials and develop tear-resistant fabrics or biomedical devices. Professor Gareth McKinley, graduate student Shawna Liff and postdoctoral researcher Nitin Kumar worked at MIT's Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) to develop a new method for effectively preparing these materials. The research appears in the January issue of Nature Materials. Engineers are already able to create materials that are either very strong or very stretchy, but it has been difficult to achieve both qualities in the same material. In the last few years scientists have determined that the secret behind the combined strength and flexibility of spider silk lies in the arrangement of the nano-crystalline reinforcement... Whole article: "http://www.physorg.com":[ http://www.physorg.com/news88430433.html]

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