Pressure material

2002/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Materialak

Although pressure causes most materials to be compacted or broken, researchers at the University of Birmingham (Great Britain) and the Brookhaven National Laboratory (United States) try to get a material of opposite behavior.

Zeolites are solids formed by aluminum, silicon and oxygen, distributed in nanopores in the molecular structure. Under normal conditions, these tiny pores are filled with positive ions and water, but have the ability to absorb twice as much pressurized water. The researchers have studied the molecular structure of zeolites and have confirmed that, by applying a pressure of between 8,000 and 15,000 atmospheres, the material expands in two dimensions. In addition, as zeolite expanded, they saw water molecules penetrate the pores.

Research can have interesting applications, as according to researchers, such materials generated in the industry could absorb chemical contaminants and radioactive waste.