Remember when you discovered that your toothpaste is partially made of seaweed? Well, not too long from now, there’s a chance your iPad could be made of crab shells. According to Ars Technica, biologists in Kyoto University in Japan have turned the shell of a (dead) crab completely transparent, treating the natural object in a brew of acids and chemicals to strip the body of minerals, proteins, lipids, fats, and pigments. After immersing the treated specimen in an acrylic resin monomer, what remains is a ghostly shell form made entirely out of chitin, a translucent long-chain polymer found in abundance in the exoskeletons of crustaceans, as well as in insects, mollusks, and even fungi (but don’t take the hermit crabs’ homes!).

Not only might these intricate, transparent animal shells inspire new sculptural works from artists like Damien Hirst, but the research also introduces exciting new prospects for technology. The material is incredibly heat-resistant, able to withstand high temperatures without expanding or losing stability, and it also boasts high light transmittance. Thus, if crab shells are crushed into powder and reshaped into a composite sheet, or any form for that matter, they can be stripped of their organic substances, made transparent, and function as clear screens and solar cells. The transparent substrate holds promise for next-generation electronics such as flexible, bending displays. Who knows, maybe the iPhone 6 will be in the shape of a clam.

by Kelly Chan

posted in news

tagged biology, chitin, crab, crabs, science, screens, solar cells, technology

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