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A D V A N C E D

M A T E R I A L S

&

P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y

2 0 1 7

7

Are you working with or have you

discovered a material or its properties

that exhibit OMG - Outrageous

Materials Goodness?

Send your submissions to

Julie Lucko at

julie.lucko@asminternational.org

.

CRAB SHELLS COULD HELP

HEAL WOUNDS

Chitosan is a sugar typically de-

rived from shrimp and crab shell waste,

which is known for its biocompatible,

biodegradable,antibacterial,antifungal,

analgesic, and hemostatic properties.

This makes it an excellent candidate for

a number of biomedical applications,

except that it has limited mechanical

strength. Researchers are working on

developing composites that combine

chitosan with nanofillers, making the

resulting material stronger.

Scientists at the University of

Minho, Portugal, are finding success

in combining bioactive glass nanopar-

ticles with chitosan to develop syn-

thetic bone grafts. Bioactive glass is a

glass-ceramic biomaterial that binds

well to physiological structures such as

bone. Bone cells were found to grow rel-

atively quickly and cover grafts made of

bioactive glass and chitosan. Graphene

oxide has been used in combination

with chitosan to develop

nanocarriers

that can deliver drugs to target tissues,

avoiding the negative side effects that

conventional drugs can have on oth-

er bodily tissues. Silver nanoparticles

are also being tested as nanofillers in

combination with chitosan to devel-

op wound dressings with antibacteri-

al properties. While initial results are

promising, further research is needed.

www.uminho.pt/en.

SELF-CHARGING ELECTRIC

BIKE BOOSTS PEDAL POWER

VELLO Bike+ is said to be the first

self-charging, electric folding bike on

the market—the battery can be fully re-

charged while riding, meaning cyclists

will never run out of power. The energy

with this new system is harvested as be-

fore, by braking and pedaling downhill,

but it now converts mechanical energy

into electrical energy due to the inte-

grated kinetic energy recovery system.

In this way, additional energy is gen-

erated to recharge the lithium-ion bat-

tery and released to give an extra boost

when riding uphill. The self-charging

mode can be deactivated and set to the

highest assistance level to provide con-

stant pedal support for at least 35 km

(20 miles) at a speed of max. 25 km/h

(15 mph). When the battery is empty, it

can be recharged by connecting it to the

power socket. Through the free app, us-

ers can set the level of pedal assistance,

track their route, and even lock their

bike remotely.

http://vello.bike

.

SHIRT POWERS PHONES WITH

SUN RAYS

Scientists report the first fibers

suitable for weaving into tailorable tex-

tiles that can capture and release solar

energy. To collect solar power, Wen-

jie Mai at Jinan University, Xing Fan of

Chongqing University, and colleagues

in China, created two different types of

fibers. One contains titanium or a man-

ganese-coated polymer along with zinc

oxide, a dye, and an electrolyte. These

fibers are interlaced with copper-coat-

ed polymer wires to create the solar cell

section of the textile. To store power,

researchers developed a second type of

fiber made of titanium, titaniumnitride,

a thin carbon shell to prevent oxidation,

and an electrolyte. These fibers are wo-

ven with cotton yarn. When combined,

the new materials form a flexible tex-

tile that can be cut and tailored into a

smart garment that is fully charged by

sunlight. Researchers say the clothing

could power small electronics includ-

ing tablets and phones.

For more infor-

mation: Wenjie Mai, wenjiemai@gmail.

com,

http://english.jnu.edu.cn

.

Chitosan is a sugar typically derived

from shrimp and crab shell waste.

Courtesy of Alex Barabas.

VELLO Bike+ is a self-charging, electric

folding bike.

A new textile that captures and stores

solar energy can be cut and sewn

to make clothes that power small

electronics. Courtesy of the American

Chemical Society.

OMG!

OUTRAGEOUSMATERIALSGOODNESS