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New Rubber may Soon See Face Masks That Change Shape to Fit Any Face
December 15, 2007 at 11:42 AM
General Health News
This rubber, developed by the researchers at the University of Rochester, may enable applications as diverse as biomedical implants, conformal face-masks, self-sealing sutures, and "smart" labels.
This unique invention owes its credit to Mitchell Anthamatten, assistant professor of chemical engineering and inventor of the material.
After stretching to any desired shape, these materials, also known as shape-memory polymers, when heated will revert to their initial shape.
These materials, unlike conventional shape-memory polymers are however transparent, rubbery, and most importantly, will allow engineers to control the speed at which it returns to its original shape.
The other shape memory polymers utilize crystallization to hold a temporary shape, which often makes them opaque, hard, and brittle in their frozen states, which limits their use.
"At higher temperatures the material stretches like a rubber band, but, at lower temperatures, it stiffens up," said Mitchell Anthamatten.
He added: "This property can be used to temporarily hold the material in a deformed shape; and its original shape can be recalled by heating. Imagine an optical lens that can be triggered to change shape, a face-mask that can fit any user, or a biomedical implant that changes shape slow enough for a surgical procedure."
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