Иерусалимын Еврей их сургуулийн судлаачид ургамлын гаралтай талст болон тусгай уургийн нэгдлээс бүрдэх, тэсвэр тэвчээр сайтай шинэ төрлийн мөсийг гарган авчээ.
Судлаачид байгалийн ургамлын эд эсийн гол бүрэлдэхүүн хэсэг болох целлюлозын нано талстуудыг ашиглан мөсний хагарал үүсэх, тархах явцыг сааруулах аргыг боловсруулсан байна. Үүнд CBM3a-AFPIII хэмээх тусгай уургийг нэмснээр целлюлозын нано талстуудыг мөсөн бүтэцтэй молекулын түвшинд барьцалдуулан бэхжүүлжээ. “Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces” сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн энэхүү судалгаагаар, шинэ материал нь энгийн мөснөөс 10 дахин илүү бат бөх төдийгүй эвдрэхээсээ өмнө 70 дахин их энерги шингээх чадвартай болох нь тогтоогджээ.
Дэлхийн хоёрдугаар дайны үед туршиж байсан “Pykrete” буюу модны нухаш, мөсний холимогтой төстэй зарчмыг орчин үеийн биотехнологийн шийдлээр сайжруулсан нь энэ юм. Эрдэмтэн Идо Браславскийн удирдсан баг материалын шинж чанарыг молекулын түвшинд хянаснаар, мөс ачааллын дор гэнэт хагарах бус харин аажмаар хэлбэрээ өөрчлөх замаар энергийг шингээдэг болохыг илрүүлжээ. Энэхүү технологи нь бетон, ган зэрэг уламжлалт барилгын материалаас татгалзаж, байгальд ээлтэй, нүүрстөрөгчийн ул мөр багатай бүтээн байгуулалтыг эрс тэс хүйтэн уур амьсгалтай бүс нутгуудад хэрэгжүүлэх боломжийг бүрдүүлж болзошгүй юм.
Одоогоор энэхүү “BioPykrete” нь зөвхөн лабораторийн түвшинд туршигдсан бөгөөд урт хугацааны тэсвэрлэх чадвар болон хүрээлэн буй орчны өөрчлөлтөд хэрхэн хариу үйлдэл үзүүлэх нь тодорхойгүй байна. Судлаачид хөлдөөх аргачлал болон ашиглаж буй уургийн хувилбаруудыг цаашид оновчтой болгосноор материалын бат бөх чанарыг улам нэмэгдүүлнэ гэж үзэж байгаа юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Scientists have created a new type of ice that’s 10 times stronger than regular ice and can absorb 70 times more energy before breaking. Developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, this material, called BioPykrete, combines plant-based crystals with a specially designed protein. And it could eventually help build structures in some of the coldest places on Earth.
The idea of making ice stronger isn’t exactly new. During World War II, the British Royal Navy considered building an aircraft carrier from a mixture of ice and wood pulp. The material, known as Pykrete, was reportedly about as strong as concrete, provided it stayed frozen. The project never became reality, mainly because costs kept rising and better alternatives emerged.
Now, more than 80 years later, researchers have brought that old idea back with a modern twist. Instead of simply adding wood fibers to ice, they’ve found a way to connect different materials at the molecular level. Their findings, published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, show just how much stronger ordinary ice can become.
A Clever Way To Stop Ice From Cracking
Regular ice struggles to withstand fractures. Once a crack develops, it can rapidly spread throughout the material. The researchers tackled this problem using cellulose nanocrystals, tiny structures made from cellulose, the main material that gives plants their strength. Unlike the larger, irregular wood fibers used in traditional Pykrete, these microscopic crystals help prevent cracks from spreading through the ice.
But the real trick involves a specially engineered protein called CBM3a-AFPIII. This protein combines an antifreeze protein (AFP) with a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM). It works like glue, helping the cellulose nanocrystals stick to the surrounding ice.
“We wanted to go beyond simply mixing fibers into ice and instead control how the different materials connect at the molecular level,” said Ido Braslavsky, a biochemist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The result is also ice that behaves differently when put under pressure. Instead of suddenly breaking apart, BioPykrete can deform more gradually, absorbing much more energy before it finally fails.
This Unusual Ice Could Have Huge Potential
The researchers aren’t planning to revive the idea of a frozen aircraft carrier. Their goal is finding new ways to build structures in extremely cold, remote locations. Places like Antarctica and the Arctic present serious challenges for construction, especially where traditional building methods are difficult to use.
BioPykrete could offer another option because its main ingredients are relatively simple: ice and plant-based cellulose. Unlike conventional construction materials, it doesn’t require concrete or steel as its main components. The researchers also point to its potential low carbon footprint and biodegradability.
The study, published in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, highlights the construction industry’s substantial carbon emissions and resource consumption. Developing materials through biotechnology could help address some of those environmental concerns.
BioPykrete has only been tested on a small scale. Scientists don’t yet know how well it would hold up over long periods or when conditions change.
Can Super Ice Become Even Tougher?
The team has already achieved impressive results, but there’s still plenty to investigate. One of the biggest questions concerns how cracks move through BioPykrete. Researchers believe the cellulose nanocrystals help stop cracks from spreading, but they want to examine that process more closely.
Images taken with a scanning electron microscope have revealed the network formed by the tiny cellulose crystals inside freeze-dried samples. The researchers also want to experiment with different freezing methods and modified proteins to see whether the material’s strength can be improved further.
“Optimizing solidification kinetics and freezing protocols, alongside developing diverse AFP-CBM variants, could yield even higher-strength composites,” they wrote.
For now, BioPykrete remains a laboratory experiment, not a ready-to-use building material. Still, turning ordinary ice into something 10 times stronger by adding plant-based crystals and a custom protein is a striking result.
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