New biological materials have been widely used in medicine for artificial joints, dental fillings and artificial heart valves.
Through years of research, Russian scientists have combined collagen extracted from human or animal bones (the main protein that constitutes connective tissue) with complex glucosamine isolated from connective tissue to obtain a new type of biocomposite material with unique functions . This kind of biocomposite material helps to restore the functions of damaged human organs and tissues, such as accelerating wound healing, used in dental surgery, sarcoma treatment and joint repair, etc., and has been widely used in medicine.
Traditional Chinese medicine has recorded that crab shells can "attack poison, disperse wind, eliminate accumulation, and cause silt". Although the chitin component was first discovered by French scientists and named as "chitin", because chitin is insoluble in water , Has long been regarded as waste. The scientific research team of Changzheng Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Second Military Medical University has developed medical chitosan that is both water-soluble and biologically safe for nearly 20 years. Medical chitosan is a natural polymer compound with various biological properties such as promoting the growth of epithelial cells and broad-spectrum antibacterial. In terms of hemostatic function, chitosan with cations is easy to aggregate with red blood cells with anions. At present, hemostatic bandages developed based on this mechanism have been used in foreign military forces. In terms of eye protection, chitosan has been found to maintain the viscoelasticity and moisture retention of corneal epithelial cells, and is effective for dry eyes caused by long-term computer use. Chitosan is compounded with collagen and can also be used as a scaffold material in tissue engineering medicine, such as nano-scale nerve catheters, which not only resist bending and compression, but also degrade and be absorbed in the body. The medical chitosan project has been successfully declared and won the first prize of the 2008 Shanghai Technology Invention Award.
New biological materials have not only been widely used in medicine, but scientists have also set their sights on new biological materials used in all walks of life. Therefore, building materials made of mushrooms, electronic product housings made of corn, energy-saving light bulbs made of DNA, chips made of proteins, batteries made of viruses, and adhesives made of marine organisms Wait for the debut.
Mushrooms are delicious food on the table, who would have thought that it has something to do with building materials. Two young American inventors, Bell and McIntal, used mushrooms to develop an environmentally friendly organic material for the construction industry. The inventor injected water, ore particles, starch and hydrogen peroxide into a 17.78 cm (7 inch) square mold, and then injected active mushroom spores. The role of hydrogen peroxide was to prevent the growth of other components in the material. . When the above materials are placed in a dark environment, the cells begin to absorb the starch as a nutrient, and germinate thousands of root-like cell clusters. After one to two weeks, it has grown into a 2.54 cm (1 inch) thick organic board. Scientists dried it to prevent the growth of fungi, and the final product was like a huge wooden biscuit. In terms of heat resistance, the heat resistance coefficient of the 2.54 cm (1 inch) thick perlite-mushroom composite sample is 0.2 higher than the heat resistance coefficient (2.7) of commercial glass fiber. The test results show that this patent is not only highly competitive in the market, but also conducive to environmental protection and sustainable development.
Samsung W5100 is the first green phone made from corn starch. The use of brominated flame retardants (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other environmentally hazardous materials in the manufacture of this phone is eliminated. Its raw material uses polylactic acid from plants such as corn as the main component, which is water-soluble and It does not contain heavy metal elements such as lead, mercury and cadmium. After the mobile phone is discarded, it can be slowly decomposed into carbon dioxide, water and inorganic matter through microorganisms and oxidation, without causing pollution to the environment.
Scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are using viruses to make batteries. The viruses they use are harmless to the human body, and can help metal elements and other chemicals to combine and generate electricity. Its efficiency is not lower than that of batteries commonly used today, but the volume is 1/4 of ordinary batteries. Experts at the University of Cincinnati in the United States use genetic material extracted from salmon roe to make energy-saving light bulbs, which have a service life of 3 to 5 times longer than current energy-saving lamps.
The large amount of liquid in the body of jellyfish can be refined into polymer glue, the protein and fat in the sea cucumber body can be refined into gel, and the foot silk that mussels rely on to firmly fix themselves on rocks and sand can be refined into glue. These colloids After absorbing 30 times its own volume of water, it can still stay firm and dry. When the polymer glue is used in daily life, when the gel controlled by weak current is used to drive motors, pumps and valves, when the glue protects the metal sheet from corrosion, the various characteristics of biology let us see the magic of nature .
Using protein molecules as components can make biochips, which has inspired many scientists' inspiration and enthusiasm. A computer chip made of protein can hold hundreds of millions of circuits in an area of 1 square millimeter, and its storage capacity can reach 1 billion times that of an ordinary computer. An integrated circuit made of protein is only one hundred thousandth of the size of a silicon integrated circuit, and it runs faster. In addition, the biochip consumes low energy and has a self-repairing function. It can be combined with the human brain, obey the instructions of the human brain, and absorb nutrients from the human body.
Unicornis is an unusual insect whose shell can change from green to black with the humidity of the outside air. Scientists predict that the characteristics of the shell structure presented by the unicorn fairy will become an important feature of a "smart material" in the future. Based on this feature, a new type of material can be developed as a humidity detector, which can be used in food processing plants to monitor humidity index and so on.
Nature has too many secrets that we need to keep exploring with a keen eye and a scientific attitude.
