As science continues to evolve, shape-shifting materials could soon become commonplace, considering the newest breakthrough in which researchers have managed to create a two-dimensional (2D) material that mimics medieval chainmail at the molecular scale.
Specifically, the micrometer-scale 2D mechanically interlocked polymer (MIP) demonstrates exceptional flexibility and stiffness, with potentially massive implications for the production of next-generation lightweight protective gear and smart armor systems, per a study in Nature published on April 15.
Indeed, a team of researchers at Westlake University, led by Professor Zhichang Liu, has reported the synthesis of a purely organic crystalline 2D MIP with long-range order, successfully addressing the old persistent tradeoff between flexibility and stiffness.
According to the study, the polymer includes 3 billion periodically arranged [c2]daisy chains per square centimeter, each functioning like interlocking rings, allowing the material to bend without breaking and maintain superior rigidity. In a [c2]daisy chain unit, each component comprises a macrocycle and an axle, creating two distinct mechanical bonds.
Rigid yet flexible 2D body armor
Previously, MIPs would typically break under stress if they were rigid types or deform irreversibly in the case of flexible gels. With the latest breakthrough, the new molecular chainmail successfully combines both characteristics, allowing it to act like a microscale bulletproof fabric.
To achieve this, Liu’s team developed a synergistic method that combines crystallization preorganization and post-interlocking. As it happens, they started with flexible tritopic monomers, preorganizing them into a long-range ordered honeycomb network, and then mechanically interlocking them using light.
Commenting on the discovery, Liu, who is the inaugural Professor of the Department of Chemistry at Westlake University and an affiliate member of the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (SKCM) of Hiroshima University, explained:
“Notably, unlike recent reports of 2D MIPs made by tangling linear polymer chains, our material forms a flat, interlocked structure using symmetrical three-armed monomers. (…) This design, resembling the interlocking rings of chainmail armor, achieves mechanical stability without chemical bonds.”
Elsewhere, polymer technology has found its place in manufacturing more environmentally friendly home appliances, as Mitsubishi Electric is reportedly exploring the possibility of using high-polymer biomass plastics in collaboration with Japanese energy and carbon-neutral solutions developer Idemitsu Kosan.
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