Space Station Live commentator Pat Ryan talks to Dr. Eric Furst,
Principal Investigator for the InSPACE experiment, from the University
of Delaware. InSpace, or Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic
Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions, studies the fundamental behavior of
magnetic colloidal fluids under the influence of various magnetic
fields.
These fluids are classified as smart materials which
transition to a solid-like state by the formation and cross-linking of
microstructures in the presence of a magnetic field. This technology has
promise to improve the ability to design structures, such as bridges
and buildings, and to better withstand earthquake damage.
Furst
describes colloids as "really interesting building blocks of matter to
assemble other structures from or other useful, functional types of
materials - 'genius materials' as some people have called them."
No comments:
Post a Comment