Researchers from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology report that polymer nanofibers are stronger when their diameter is smaller than 500 nanometers, a finding which they say can enable stronger fabrics that use less material. The researchers report that each polymer nanofiber is composed of complex molecules, called macromolecules, which piece together in a series of “differently oriented macromolecular regions.” Researcher Eyal Zussman explained: “When the diameter of the fiber is much larger than the size of the oriented regions, the macromolecules can more relative to one another. But as the diameter of the fiber shrinks, these oriented regions become constrained. . . and the resulting nanofiber is much stiffer.” The article says that potentially applications include lighter and stronger fabrics.
