A team of scientists from the University of Manchester has been honored with a Guinness World Record for creating the thinnest fabric ever made, woven from single molecules.
The art of weaving has accompanied humanity since the dawn of consciousness. We have known how to braid nets for fishing, knit clothing for warmth, and over time, this life-sustaining activity has evolved alongside societal development. We have fabrics that are a few millimeters thick, like clothing made from plant-based fibers, to fabrics that are several micrometers thick, such as wool, cotton, or synthetic polymers.
For the first time, a group of scientists at the University of Manchester has developed a molecular weaving technique to create a two-dimensional layer. Through this, they have produced a thin woven fabric with 40-60 million fibers per unit area.
To put this in perspective: the finest fabric from the Egyptians contains only about 1,500 fibers per unit area, while in industrial standards, fabric with 150 fibers per unit area is considered acceptable, and 180 fibers are used for high-quality fabrics.
Illustration of the thinnest fabric in the world.
The art of weaving, layer upon layer, is prevalent in nature, exemplified by birds weaving branches into nests. As technology advances, new materials and advanced weaving techniques have emerged. The research team experimented with using a long polymer chain to weave a layer, to see if its strength and flexibility could be comparable to fabric woven from conventional fibers.
The scientists utilized chemistry to weave tiny polymer strands. Iron atoms and negatively charged ions coordinated to weave material blocks made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms. These material blocks connect to form a single fabric that is only 4 nanometers long.
Professor David Leigh from the University of Manchester commented: “Weaving molecular strands in this way opens up new improved properties. The fabric is twice as strong as the fibers that make it, and when torn, it separates like paper without fraying like regular fibers. The material also functions similarly to a mesh, allowing small molecules to pass through while retaining larger molecules.”
“This is the first example of a woven fabric made from molecules. [The method] Molecular Weaving opens new pathways in altering the properties of plastics and other materials,” he added.
