Technological watch
A shock-absorbing material made from a mechanosensitive protein
>https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-023-01434-y Nature Nanotechnology, Published online: 03 July 2023; doi:10.1038/s41565-023-01434-y
Certain proteins have been optimized over millennia to exhibit shock-absorbing capabilities. To harness these capabilities, synthetic biology was used to incorporate the mechanosensitive protein talin into a hydrogel. The resulting talin shock-absorbing material (TSAM) retains the mechanical properties of talin and can absorb the impact of, as well as capture, supersonic projectiles.
Certain proteins have been optimized over millennia to exhibit shock-absorbing capabilities. To harness these capabilities, synthetic biology was used to incorporate the mechanosensitive protein talin into a hydrogel. The resulting talin shock-absorbing material (TSAM) retains the mechanical properties of talin and can absorb the impact of, as well as capture, supersonic projectiles.
Publication date: 03/07/2023
Author: Jack A. Doolan
Reference: doi:10.1038/s41565-023-01431-1
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870292.
