Self-assembly of molecules is widespread in nature, serving as a way to form organized structuresin
For the past couple of decades, scientists and engineers have been following nature's lead by creating molecules that assemble on their own, such as in water.The goal is to create nanostructures, primarily in the biomedical field.
A team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a new class of small molecules that spontaneously assemble into nanoribbons with unprecedented strength, preserving their structure outside of water.
Usually self-assembly structures are modeled bya sample of the cell membrane. Their outer part is hydrophilic, while the inner part is hydrophobic. The configuration is based on radically different processes and provides the driving force for self-assembly. However, outside the water, such a structure disintegrates.
The new design of the molecule, created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, consists of three main components: the outer hydrophilic part, which "likes" to interact with water, the aramids in the middle for binding, and the inner hydrophobic part, with its "aversion" to water.According to the scientists, it is inspired by the structure of Kevlar.The aramids in the structure provide its chemical stability and strength.
The researchers tested dozens of molecules that met these criteria before finding a design that led to the creation of long ribbonsThe authors then measured their strength and stiffness to understand the impact of incorporating the Kevlar interaction between the molecules.They found that such nanofibers turned out to be unexpectedly strong — stronger than even steel.
This discovery led the authors to wonder if it was possible to bind nanoribbons together to produce stable macroscopic materials.The aligned fibers were tightened into long threads that could be dried and processed.It turned out that they were able to hold 200 times their own weight.
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Aramid is a long chain of syntheticpolyamide, in which at least 85% of the amide bonds are attached directly to two aromatic rings. The properties of aramid fibers are determined by both chemical and physical microstructure.
Kevlar is a para-aramid fiber manufactured byby DuPont. Kevlar is highly durable. For the first time, Kevlar was obtained by the group of Stephanie Kwolek, an American chemist and employee of DuPont, in 1964, the production technology was developed in 1965, and industrial production began in the early 1970s.