Summary
The Mechanically Interlocked Materials (MIMs) Disruption Opportunity (DO) will evaluate the technical feasibility to develop new, scalable methodologies to synthesize mechanically interlocked and woven architectures via molecular assembly at scale, and test emergent physical/chemical properties.
Modern textiles achieve both strength and flexibility by weaving fabric fibers in different patterns of various sizes, shapes, and topology. The ability to similarly weave and braid polymer chains on the molecular scale could reap analogous benefits on the nanoscale. Indeed, recent studies have created molecular woven nanomaterials, some of which have been shown to enhance mechanical properties when used as fillers in conventional polymers. However, these efforts have not produced MIMs on a scale suitable for DoD applications.
To fully realize the technological advantage of these novel materials, disruptive advances are needed to improve our ability to design, synthesize, characterize, and produce these materials at scale.
The MIMs program will focus on identifying new, scalable synthetic and biological methodologies to create mechanically interlocked and woven polymer architectures via molecular assembly. New methodologies will provide precision control over molecular composition, topology, and dimensionality that can be synthesized beyond the laboratory scale. MIMs will modulate polymer characteristics to simultaneously achieve both flexibility and strength by utilizing mechanical interlocking as a means to increase intermolecular interactions without sacrificing flexibility and solubility. Ultimately, MIMs could find use in integrated, breathable armors, chemical and biological protective coatings, and as controlled drug release wound dressings.
MIMs is part of DARPA’s Disruptioneering effort designed to rapidly explore bold, high-risk ideas with the goal of accelerating scientific discovery.