Knit magical life with smart fibers

——Interview with Zhu Weifang, dean of the China Young Women Scientist Award and Dean of School of Materials Science and Technology at Donghua University, Co., Ltd. Rough sacks can become comfortable and soft clothes, and clothes that use hybrid materials will “look at you” and nanometers. The artificial organs made of composite materials work better than our own “original parts”... At first glance it seems incredible, but the advent of smart fiber materials is expected to make this all a reality. Not long ago, Zhu Meifang, dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Donghua University, who has made outstanding achievements in the field of smart fiber materials, won the 7th "Young Chinese Female Scientist Award." This woman scientist who could not afford to wear "Dandian" for more than two decades devoted more than twenty years to the study of intelligent fibers, weaving a magical fiber world.

Polypropylene fine fiber: Softer than silk, it is usually used as a chemical fiber material for curtains and sacks. However, in the hands of Zhu Meifang, it can turn it into soft clothes. Zhu Meifang said: "Polypropylene fiber has a unique feature: it can guide water. The layers made of such fibers can guide sweat, the outer layer can absorb sweat, and wear on the body is more comfortable than silk clothing because Silk can only absorb sweat and not sweat."

Speaking of the principle of softening clothes made of sacks of fibers, Zhu Meifang cited an example: if the shower faucet does not add showerheads, the water flow will feel painful on the body, and the added water pressure of showerhead will be dispersed and the water flow will become a fine one. Flow, there is no feeling of discomfort. A crude fiber becomes a garment made of many fine fibers, the same reason.

After more than 20 years of teaching and scientific research, Zhu Meifang has worked on more than 30 national and local projects. However, she is most impressed by the fact that polypropylene fiber has been used as a small project. She told reporters that because it was the first project she studied, and that it was 10 years. When he was a child, he longed for Zhu Meifang, who had a “dare”, to use her perseverance and hard work.

Hybrid fiber: Clothing that is more comfortable than pure wool can be used intelligently to “warm up” according to the person’s physical condition. This is not a fantasy, but one of the future applications of smart fiber materials. Zhu Meifang said that the prerequisite for realizing these ideas is to develop smart fiber materials that can respond to external stimuli and can be processed and applied.

In recent years, Zhu Meifang has made important breakthroughs in the field of smart fibers. She introduced the concept of “hybrid materials” into the fiber world, and combined different organic/inorganic materials through new synthetic methods and nanocomposite technologies to achieve multi-scale, Multi-dimensional and multi-component composites. This can be visually understood as a process of 1+1>2, in which the different materials are combined in the nanoscopic microscopic world and transformed into new and new materials with controlled performance and stronger functions.

"A pure wool sweater is not the best, it must contain 5% or 10% chemical fiber. That is to say, a real good clothes is to weave together different fibers, this kind of hybrid The function of fiber is greatly increased. It can be used to make sweat-sucking socks, anti-bacterial clothing, bed sheets and quilts for treating cardiovascular diseases, etc." Zhu Meifang said.

Nanogel: Better than the "original" organ. A little transparent material on the lab bench looks like QQ sugar. When you pull it hard, it can always be restored regardless of how hard it is; cut with a knife, Always cut it continuously; put it into the water, and instantly raise the image and blow up the big bubble gum. This kind of material that can not be broken, cut continuously and has super absorbent properties is a nano-composite hydrogel, which is an important research result obtained by Zhu Meifang and the research team.

Zhu Meifang told reporters that nanocomposite hydrogel is an important biological material that can be widely used in drug delivery, human tissue repair, etc. This new type of nanocomposite material has been evaluated by industry experts as “the best elasticity so far.” Nanocomposite hydrogel". Imagine that in the not-too-distant future, on our bodies, there will be a variety of artificial organs and tissues made of artificial fibers that are even better than our own blood vessels or skin, and that they can be replaced. It would be amazing. The scene.

Prof. Zhu Meifang is currently working with a certain drug company in Shanghai to study the application of nano-composite hydrogel materials in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia and to explore the possibility of replacing polyester fibers as an insulative material between arteries and nerves. Zhu Meifang said that the composite gel material has excellent mechanical properties and high water absorption, is easy to implant, has good material elasticity, and has less stress on nerves, and is expected to replace the polyester currently used. The material also has potential applications in dental repairs, drug release, and so on.