US Scientists Develop Vascular Structure Composites

According to the US daily science report, scientists in the United States have drawn inspiration from the biological circulation system and developed a composite material similar to vascular structure, which can be used for manufacturing lightweight and hard materials that can self heal and self cooling, as well as power materials and metamaterials for transporting material and energy like trees.

Composite material is a combination of two or more materials, which has the properties of various materials. Compound material Not only is it lightweight and hard, it is very suitable for making structural materials. The traditional composite material is made of woven fiber net embedded in resin, which is increased by strength of fiber. For example, graphite, glass fiber and synthetic fiber Kevlar can be used as embedding materials.

Scientists at the University of Illinois use the new method to create such composite materials, which contain tiny pipes that facilitate liquid or gas flow. These small pipes can form a capillary network in this composite material, just like a vascular network in a tree. Professor Jeffrey Moore, a professor of chemistry, materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, who participated in the study, said: "trees are incredible structural materials. They can suck liquids like pumps and transport substances and energy from roots to leaves. We also hope to develop materials with the same function, and now we have taken the first step. " In order to make these small pipes, some special fibers were treated by scientists, so that they could be degraded at high temperature. When the temperature further increased, the degraded fibers would evaporate, leaving only small pipes.

The latest material has a distinct feature that allows different liquids to be used in the material. Internal circulation It is versatile. Scientists have allowed different fluids to circulate in composite materials, demonstrating their 4 functions: temperature regulation, chemical reaction, conduction and changing electromagnetic characteristics. They let the coolant or hot fluid circulate in it to regulate the temperature; injecting chemicals into different branches of blood vessels to mix them together to produce a cold light response; by using conductive liquids, the material is electrically conductive. The electromagnetic characteristics of ferromagnetic bells are changed by the use of ferromagnetic bells, a highly permeable nanofluid, which exhibits strong magnetization under the action of a magnetic field.

Next, scientists hope to develop interconnections. Pipeline network In order to develop self healing, self cooling polymers or fuel cells.

"This is not only a microfluidic device, it's not just a gadget on the chip," said Nancy Sotos, a partner in the research, materials science and engineering and aerospace engineering. "This structural material can simulate many functions of the biological system. This is a great progress."