As I have written in previous posts, the nano scale provides us with many different physical characteristics. Although hard to get your head round, taking particles 10000000000 times smaller than a metre can drastically change what we would thing are usual. For example, gold nanoparticles appear red or purple due to the difference in light wavelength that they interact with.
Well now theres a shape memory polymer! Research carried out in China has developed a polymer that can become tangled but returns to its original shape when put into water. This polymer has combined the advantages of the macro and nano scale. It is made from chitosan (a linear polysaccharide) and picks up surrounding nanoparticles in solution through electrostatic bonds after it has been shaped by a mould and ice has pushed the chitosan chains into a fixed structure.
This discovery can be used with a wide range of nanoparticles, giving many functions. If you then immerse the polymer in water it remains to its original shape - amazing!
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