MIT Engineers Create the ‘Impossible’ – New Material That Is Stronger than Steel and as Light as Plastic

 

Matthew Curran

Mr Ippolito

Chemistry D-Odd

2/9/22

 

O'Neill, Mike. “MIT Engineers Create the ‘Impossible’ – New Material That Is Stronger than Steel and as Light as Plastic.” SciTechDaily, 5 Feb. 2022, <https://scitechdaily.com/mit-engineers-create-the-impossible-new-material-that-is-stronger-than-steel-and-as-light-as-plastic/. >

            In this article, the author details the creation of a two-dimensional polymer that self-assembles into sheets, and has the strength of steel with the weight and durability of plastic..   Chemical engineers at MIT developed a polymerization process that allowed them to create a 2-dimensional extremely strong and durable polymer.  Scientists hypothesized for decades about the potential strength of a 2 dimensional polymer but after years upon years of failed attempts it was deemed impossible to create such a polymer, but the process created by chemists and chemical engineers at MIT proved this statement to be false.  

The creation of this 2D polymer is extremely important and relevant to society and will have a large societal effect.  Being a plastic, it can be mass produced and created at a much lower price than that of natural materials and metals.  Experts have already outlined many potential uses such as coating for car parts and cell phones and building bridges.  It is also a big breakthrough for polymer chemistry as a whole and could lead to other polymers with different uses.  

Overall, the author produced a very well written and well informed article.  The article did a great job of not only crediting the many chemists and engineers in the study, but making polymer chemistry and the basics of a polymer very understandable to someone with no prior knowledge on the topic.  I thought he could have done a better job of outlining the potential uses of this polymer and the effects it will have on society.