In laboratory tests, we managed to create a material with a predictable life expectancy
Most synthetic materials are very durable, and this is a big plus when using them, but the big disadvantage when it comes to their disposal.
Now researchers from the technical University of Munich are developing materials that decompose when they are running out of power.
Such materials can be used for targeted drug delivery in the body, and in the future to create self-destructing packaging for the goods.
If an animal or a plant gets energy through food or sunlight, it dies and decomposes. But artificial substance is not fulfilling this kind of energy exchange with the environment, allowing it to retain its shape for a long time. And for the disposal of such substances often need to spend a significant amount of energy.
“Most artificial substances are chemically very stable, and to decompose them into components, you need to spend a lot of energy. Nature does not produce dumps. Instead, biological cells constantly synthesize new molecules from recycled materials. Some of these molecules can assemble into larger structures, so-called supramolecular aggregates that form structural components of cells. This dynamic ensemble has inspired us to develop materials that are themselves recyclable, when they are no longer needed,” says Jobe Bokhoven, lead author of the study.
To simulate such natural system, scientists have created molecular compounds, which are collected in the hydrogel when adding fuel. This fuel is in the form of high-energy molecules called carbodiimide. A chemical reaction allows you to keep the material stable until then, until there is a supply of energy. When it eventually ends, the material simply disintegrates into its component molecules that can be reassembled, just by adding “fuel”.
In laboratory tests, scientists were able to create materials with predictable lifetime from several minutes to several hours, and after they broke up.
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