Contact: Michael Bernstein 'Super paper' stronger than cast iron
WASHINGTON, Jan.29, 2009 — In the future, bulletproof vests could be made out of paper. Yes…paper! Scientists in Sweden and Japan have come up with a new material, made from the cellulose in plant cell walls that is stronger than cast iron. This "super paper" also happens to be environmentally-friendly, the researchers say. Cellulose is the stuff used to make ordinary paper. Scientists have already developed a wide variety of materials out of cellulose, including some plastics. Although existing cellulose-based materials are strong, they tend to be brittle and break easily when under stress. Now, a team of scientists headed by Lars A. Berglund have figured out a way to make these cellulose materials stronger and tougher. They exposed wood pulp to certain chemicals. The chemicals changed cellulose into a thick liquid consisting of nanoparticles. Those tiny bits of plant cell wall were each about 1/5000th the width of a single human hair. Then scientists converted the nanoparticle mixture into a new kind of paper. In laboratory tests, the scientists showed that the ability of the paper to withstand breaking exceeded that of cast iron. That's the material used to make heavy black frying pans. Since the paper is as tough as iron, you probably won't want to turn it into paper airplanes or paper wads for throwing at your friends. On the other hand, "super paper" might one day protect soldiers from bullets. And since scientists obtain the paper from plants, a renewable resource, you've got the makings of an environmentally-friendly super-material as well. ###
Listen to this episode of Bytesize Science at www.acs.org/BytesizeScience. The American Chemical Society — the world's largest scientific society — is a non-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. *The research in this press release is from a copyrighted publication, and stories must credit the journal by name or the American Chemical Society. A full report on their research appeared in the June 9, 2008 issue of ACS' Biomacromolecules, a journal for scientists. News media may obtain a full text of this report ("Cellulose Nanopaper Structures of High Toughness") by contacting Michael Bernstein. Researcher contact information for news media use only and not for publication: CONTACT: Lars A. Berglund, Ph.D.
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