I kind of love the idea that people believe that no matter how great something is, there’s always a better, faster, more economical, et al way to make it or for it to exist.
As far as building materials, steel has been the go-to for some time – but now researchers say that, using DNA, they’ve constructed something not only stronger, but lighter to boot.
The impressive synthetic material is the result of DNA fused with glass, and thought study coauthor Seok-Woo Lee says it might currently be impractical, that might not always be the case.
“For the given density, our material is the strongest known.”
It’s known as a glass nanolattice structure, and the researchers believe their findings will lay groundwork for even stronger materials with similar architecture to be developed.
Basically, researchers used self-assembling DNA that snaps together, then overlay it with a glass-like material that’s so thin you can hardly even imagine it.
If you, like me, wonder how glass could be good for protecting anything, the answer is, apparently, scientists eliminating imperfections like cracks. The result is the nanolattice structure that’s incredibly strong.
Four times as strong as steel, in fact, and lower in density as well. Nanomaterials scientist Oleg Gang verifies that all of this will have to be proven on a much larger scale before any life-changing claims can be made.
“The ability to create designed 3D framework nanomaterials using DNA and mineralize them opens enormous opportunities for engineering mechanical properties. But much research work is still needed before we can employ it as a technology.”
Still, it seems to me that things are definitely going in the right direction.
Which is always going to be stronger and lighter, from here on out.