MANCHESTER:
Braiding polymer strands may lead to new generations of light,
super-strong, and flexible materials for fabrication and construction,
says record maker of tightest knot, Professor David Leigh.
The
Chemist, Mr. Leigh, brought home the title recognized by the Guinness
World Records this week for his attempt of trying the tightest knot that
was published in the journal Science earlier this year.Fellow researchers at the University of Manchester have been rejoicing over the achievement that also featured in the prominent list for “Molecules of the Year”, a compilation by the American Chemical Society in Chemistry and Engineering News.
Mr. Leigh tells that the breakthrough relies on a new technique that allows scientists to twist molecular strands into tighter and more complex knots than ever before.
It’s a feat the team accomplished by braiding multiple strands of molecules as, “Some polymers, such as spider silk, can be twice as strong as steel,” Leigh noted as an example.
