It is a field where the development of new materials is essential, such as increasing the temperature of nuclear fusion reactors and developing outer space.and the answer is probably nanotechnologyas demonstrated by a revolutionary material recently announced by a consortium formed by MIT When Caltech (California Institute of Technology) in the US and ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
The main properties of this new material are Both high strength and unprecedented lightnessSpecifically, researchers have shown that it is much stronger than Kevlar or steel and can be used for protective clothing and coatings on objects and structures.
To achieve this they used nano carbon pattern Strengthen the material, a technique known as nano architectureThey then took it to the lab and subjected it to a relentless particle bombardment at the speed of sound. At the end of the article, we show a series of streams in which particles collide with a surface.
The structure of the material was created using a two-photon lithography technique. This involves using a laser beam to solidify a photosensitive resin to give it the desired shape. The goal is to reproduce the method described in this article on 3D printing with light, albeit at the nanoscale.
The result is a kind of fine mesh with a structure known as a tetrahedron, a 14-sided polyhedron. This type of geometry was previously used in energy abatement forms.
By dropping it to the nanoscale and making it into this shape, a fragile material like carbon becomes flexible. And, as the Jewish Talmud points out, it is preferable to be flexible like a reed rather than rigid like a cedar tree, especially when subjected to impacts of 1,000 meters per second.
supersonic shock
Once this nanostructure was developed, the California Institute of Technology lab tested it for resistance to impact. The “cannon” used was an ultrafast laser projected onto a sheet of glass with a thin layer of gold, coated with fine particles of silicon oxide.
As the laser penetrates the foil, the plasma propels the silicon particles at supersonic speed. This is a bit like when he puts down his glass of coffee and sits on the couch.
Experiments tested speeds ranging from 40 to 1100 meters per second. To understand the velocity of these particles, we must keep in mind that the speed of sound is 340 meters per second, and a rifle bullet travels at velocities of 600 to 1,000 meters per second.
Researchers recorded the impact with a high-speed camera. The results can be seen in her GIF adjacent.of Nanoarchitecture proved to resist impact by deforming and compressing in the affected areaAlso, the denser the material, the more resistant it is to supersonic particles.
meteorite impact model
The tests were conducted by firing microparticles at samples thinner than a human hair.Yet the physical principle is the same as applied Modeling large-scale meteorite impacts.
The experiment used the Buckingham II theorem, a dimensional analysis framework for characterizing planetary influences. This analysis combines physical properties such as the velocity of the meteorite and the surface strength of the planet to calculate the ‘crater efficiency’, or the probability that the meteorite penetrates the surface.
This model allowed them to predict impact effects with high accuracy. Moreover, according to the researchers, this type of analytical framework is extendable when testing other nanomaterials. strength and resilience.
sauce: Cytec Daily
image: When
