Indian scientists make breakthrough discovery of material that repairs itself

Scientists have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair their own mechanical damage without the need for any external intervention, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/indian-scientists-make-breakthrough-discovery-of-material-that-repairs-itself-1012430.html

Scientists have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair their own mechanical damage without the need for any external intervention, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/science-and-environment/indian-scientists-make-breakthrough-discovery-of-material-that-repairs-itself-1012430.html

Scientists have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair their own mechanical damage without the need for any external intervention, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) said on Saturday.

Piezoelectric crystals are a class of materials that generate electricity when it undergoes a mechanical impact.

Devices that are used daily often break down due to mechanical damage, forcing users either to repair or replace them. This decreases the life of the equipment and increases maintenance costs. In many cases, like in a spacecraft, human intervention for restoration is not possible.

"Keeping such necessities in mind, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur, have developed piezoelectric molecular crystals that repair themselves from mechanical damages without need for any external intervention," the DST said in a statement.

Called bipyrazole organic crystals, the piezoelectric molecules developed by the scientists recombine following mechanical fracture without any external intervention, autonomously self-healing in milliseconds with crystallographic precision, it said.

In these molecular solids, due to the unique property of generating electrical charges on mechanical impact, the broken pieces acquire electrical charges at the crack junction, leading to attraction by damaged parts and precise autonomous repair.

This research, supported by the DST through its Swarnajayanti Fellowship to CM Reddy and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) grants, has been published in the journal 'Science' recently.

This methodology was initially developed by the IISER Kolkata team led by professor C M Reddy, a recipient of Swarnajayanti fellowship (2015), Professor Nirmalya Ghosh of IISER Kolkata, a laureate of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) G.G. Stokes Award in Optical polarisation 2021, used a custom-designed state-of-the-art polarisation microscopic system to probe and quantify the perfection of the piezoelectric organic crystals, the the statement said.

These materials with perfect internal arrangement of molecules or ions are called 'crystals' which are abundant in nature.

In the IIT Kharagpur's team, Professors Bhanu Bhusan Khatua and Sumanta Karan studied the performance of the new materials for fabricating mechanical energy harvesting devices, it added.

The material may find application in high-end micro-chips, high precision mechanical sensors, actuators, micro-robotics. Further research into such materials may eventually lead to the development of smart gadgets that self-repair cracks or scratches.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

4 Warning Signs Your Body Has A Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamins play an essential role in the production of red blood cells and DNA in your body. It also plays an important role in the proper functioning of your nervous system. Unfortunately, deficiency of vitamins is very common, especially in the elderly. You are at risk of deficiency if you don’t get enough vitamins from your diet or from the food you eat. 

Vitamins are regarded as co-contributors for all the essential biochemical reactions within the body. Fatigue, breathlessness, weight loss and irregular heartbeats are some of the well-known signs of vitamin deficiency, but you should be aware of the unusual vitamin-deficiency signs as well.

1. White and red acne on the arms, thighs, and cheeks: This means that your body is not just deficient in vitamins A and D, but some essential fatty acids as well. If you spend long hours in air-conditioned spaces and live in a region where pollution is extremely high, you are more likely to suffer from these deficiencies. You should eat a lot of fishes, eggs and green leafy vegetables in this case. You should consume dairy products since they contain healthy fats along with all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can think of.
2. Tingling sensation followed by numbness in the hands and feet: This indicates that your body is deficient in B vitamins such as B12, B6, and folate or B9. It is a health issue directly connected with the peripheral nerves and their ending on the skin. These symptoms may be accompanied by depression, anemia, fatigue and even hormone imbalances. Foods like eggs, mutton, chicken, nuts, wheat germ, brown rice, grains, and sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin B.
3. Cracks at the corner of the mouth: This is a common symptom indicating a deficiency of B vitamins along with iron and zinc. This problem is mostly seen among vegetarians since they do not eat enough iron, zinc and vitamin B12. It could also mean that you are cutting down on some proteins required for your immunity building owing to excessive dieting. You should include more poultry products, tomatoes, lentils, and peanuts. Make sure that you eat dairy products such as paneer, yogurt, and ghee or clarified butter.
4. Muscle cramps along with throbbing pain in calves, arches of feet and back portion of the legs: If this is the case with you, then you are not just deficient in vitamin but calcium, magnesium and potassium as well. This may also happen if you are training hard since you are likely to lose more minerals through heavy sweating. Have a lot of fresh fruits, dry fruits and vegetables to fix these issues.

The key to avoiding such problems is to have a balanced meal every day.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                          PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              

FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         https://my crochet creations.blogspot.com/