Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a new 3D-printable material that mimics human tissue's ability to sort and filter molecules, allowing certain substances to pass while blocking others. The material, made by jamming billions of tiny water droplets together, can form large, tissue-like structures in minutes, overcoming previous limitations of speed and scalability.
The droplets are separated by thin membranes that link together, similar to cell organization in human tissue. 'Tissues can separate and transport ions and molecules; that's how our kidneys or intestines work, taking only what they need and leaving the rest behind,' said Manish Kumar, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering.
The material can be customized for various applications. It can serve as a scaffold for growing new tissues or organs, and its flexibility makes it suitable for soft robots used in surgery, search-and-rescue, or hazardous environments. By adding specific proteins, the material can conduct ion currents like nerve tissue, potentially leading to computing systems modeled after the human brain.
In another application, researchers added a protein that enables the material to distinguish ammonium from other ions in wastewater, including water from oil and gas extraction and municipal sources. This filtering capability could help recycle and reuse critical minerals and nutrients from wastewater.
The technology was developed by Aida Fica, a student of Kumar, who found a new approach after years of challenges. The team used emulsification and centrifugation to create the material. 'This technology now offers a simple, scalable process with endless applications that could be implemented in any laboratory since it only requires basic equipment,' Fica said. The researchers are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to extract lithium and rare-earth elements, and have patented the technology.
Source: chemeurope.com
