TEL AVIV, Israel, September 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A revolutionary new
spherical nanostructure, fully derived from very simple organic elements, yet
strong as steel, has been developed and characterized at the laboratories of
Ehud Gazit of Tel Aviv University and Itay Rousso of the Weizmann Institute
of Science. Lightweight and exceptionally strong, easy and inexpensive to
produce, friendly to the environment and biologically compatible, these
promising bio-inspired nano-spheres have innumerable potential uses - from
durable composite materials to medical implants. The groundbreaking work was
recently published in the leading journal Angewandte Chemie.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100929/410765 )
The researchers, Prof. Gazit, Dr. Lihi Adler-Abramovich and Inbal Yanai
from TAU's Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, working in
collaboration with Dr. Itay Rousso and Nitzan Kol from the Weizmann Institute
and David Barlam and Roni Shneck of Ben-Gurion University, used a simple
dipeptide, consisting of only two amino acids, to form spherical
nanostructures. Self-assembling under ambient conditions - without any
heating or manipulation - this remarkable new material is the first
bio-inspired nano-material known to date that is mechanically equal and even
superior to many metallic substances. While demonstrating chemical properties
similar to those of the ultra-rigid Kevlar(R) polymer, already used for
bullet-proof vests, the new substance is built from much simpler building
blocks, enabling some important advantages: manipulation and deposition at
the nano-scale, the fabrication of nano-materials of tubular, spherical and
other geometries, and spontaneous formation by self-assembly. Here, indeed is
a perfect building block for numerous applications:
Hard and strong as steel, this new nanostructure is an ideal element for
the reinforcement of composite materials used in the space, aviation and
transportation industries; biologically compatible yet extremely rigid and
durable, it is an excellent candidate for replacing metallic implants; tough,
light and impenetrable, it is an exceptional option for manufacturing
bullet-proof vests; - to name just a few high-potential uses.
The new nanotechnology development now emerging from Tel Aviv University
is based on extensive research which began in Prof. Gazit's laboratory in
2003. In an earlier achievement, the team was able to fabricate tubular
nanostructures that assemble themselves into vast "forests" featuring
exceptional mechanical and physical properties. This earlier work, based on
the doctoral thesis of Dr. Lihi Adler-Abramovich, and published in 2009 in
the prestigious Nature Nanotechnology scientific journal, may eventually
generate self-cleaning windows and solar panels, as well as supreme energy
storage devices with exceptionally high energy density.
The link to the original paper:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201002037
SOURCE Tel Aviv University
