Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Nat Mater. 2021 Jun;20(6):869-874. doi: 10.1038/s41563-021-00932-5. Epub 2021 Feb 22.
In nature, bone adapts to mechanical forces it experiences, strengthening itself to match the conditions placed upon it. Here we report a composite material that adapts to the mechanical environment it experiences-varying its modulus as a function of force, time and the frequency of mechanical agitation. Adaptation in the material is managed by mechanically responsive ZnO, which controls a crosslinking reaction between a thiol and an alkene within a polymer composite gel, resulting in a mechanically driven ×66 increase in modulus. As the amount of chemical energy is a function of the mechanical energy input, the material senses and adapts its modulus along the distribution of stress, resembling the bone remodelling behaviour that materials can adapt accordingly to the loading location. Such material design might find use in a wide range of applications, from adhesives to materials that interface with biological systems.
在自然界中，骨骼会适应其所承受的机械力，从而增强自身以适应所承受的条件。在这里，我们报告了一种复合材料，它可以适应其所经历的机械环境——根据力、时间和机械搅拌的频率来改变其模量。材料的适应性由机械响应的 ZnO 来控制，它控制着聚合物复合凝胶中硫醇和烯烃之间的交联反应，从而导致模量机械驱动增加了×66。由于化学能量的数量是机械能量输入的函数，因此该材料可以沿着应力分布感知并适应其模量，类似于骨骼重塑行为，材料可以相应地适应加载位置。这种材料设计可能在从粘合剂到与生物系统接口的材料等广泛的应用中找到用途。
