University of Cambridge: Molecular ‘glue’ could make towering timber skyscrapers a reality, research finds

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09 Feb 2017

Molecular ‘glue’ could make towering timber skyscrapers a reality, research finds

Supplier: University of Cambridge
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Molecular ‘glue’ could make towering timber
skyscrapers a reality, research finds

Researchers at the universities of Cambridge and Warwick have discovered 'molecular glue'

Molecules 10,000 times narrower than the width of a human hair could hold the key to building super-strong wooden skyscrapers in the future, new research has found.

Teams at the Universities of Warwick and Cambridge in England have unlocked the mystery of how key sugars in cells bind to form strong, indigestible materials.

The research explains how thick, rod-like cellulose and long, winding xylan – the Earth’s two most common large molecules – stick together to form strong plant walls despite being fundamentally different.

“We knew the answer must be elegant and simple,” said Professor Paul Dupree from the department of biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. “And in fact, it was.

“What we found was that cellulose induces xylan to untwist itself and straighten out, allowing it to attach itself to the cellulose molecule. It then acts as a kind of ‘glue’ that can protect cellulose or bind the molecules.”

Supplier: University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is one of the world's oldest universities and leading academic centres, and a self-governed community of scholars. Its reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known world-wide and reflects the intellectual achievement of its students, as well as the world-class original research carried out by the staff of the University and the Colleges.

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