The Nanotech BC Blog: Plastic? Steel? Both!

We're really just playing catch up with nature, aren't we?

Apparently, by mimicking the layered molecular grid of seashells scientists at the University of Michigan have created a new, biodegradable plastic-like material that's transparent and hard as steel.

The most impressive thing about this advance is that the researchers have managed to live up to the promise of nanotechnology -- realizing the remarkable strength of their nanoscale building-blocks at the macroscale.

Of course, as always there are questions that need to be asked. How expensive is it to create this material? How hard is it going to be to scale it up to economically viable production? This new material is a significant achievement, but the real success will come when we're using it in practical ways.