Unlike existing materials that change color from yellow to blue only when a force of 8.5 newtons is applied, the newly-created material is sensitive to a force of only 1 newton. (image: KIST)
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean research team has developed new technology that allows plastic materials to display black and blue ‘bruises’ if a certain level of external power or shock is applied to them, enabling users to gain insight into the risk of breakage in advance.
Researchers from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) recently announced that they had greatly improved the sensitivity of the next-generation stress response material ‘spiropyran’ that can be used as a component of wearable sensors or artificial skin.
Spiropyran, in general, has a low level of sensitivity, with its color changing only when impacted by extremely strong power.
The research team applied the process of infiltrating a nonpolar solvent, xylene, by synthesizing plastic material with spiropyran and then dipping it in xylene.
This process led to the creation of spiropyran-high molecular material that is 850 percent more stress sensitive than existing spiropyran.
Unlike existing materials that change color from yellow to blue only when a force of 8.5 newtons is applied, the newly-created material is sensitive to a force of only 1 newton.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
