2022-05-12 オランダ・デルフト工科大学（TUDelft)
アムステルダム大学、デルフト大学、ユニリーバの研究者たちは、今月『Soft Matter』に発表した研究で、他の多くの材料の特性と同様に、食用物質の口当たりを設計できることを実証しました。それは、メタマテリアルと呼ばれる、自然界に存在しない材料を研究室で慎重に構築することです。彼らは、木材でもコンクリートでもガラスでもなく、チョコレートから材料を作り上げるのです。
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.tudelft.nl/en/2022/3me/news/designing-the-perfect-piece-of-chocolate
- https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/sm/d1sm01761f
食用メカニカルメタマテリアルを用いた口当たり制御のためのフラクチャーデザインEdible mechanical metamaterials with designed fracture for mouthfeel control
André Souto, Jian Zhang, Alejandro M. Aragón, Krassimir P. Velikov and Corentin Coulais
Soft Matter Published:21 Mar 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SM01761F
Abstract
Metamaterials can display unusual and superior properties that come from their carefully designed structure rather than their composition. Metamaterials have permeated large swatches of science, including electromagnetics and mechanics. Although metamaterials hold the promise for realizing technological advances, their potential to enhance interactions between humans and materials has largely remained unexplored. Here, we devise a class edible mechanical metamaterials with tailored fracture properties to control mouthfeel sensory experience. Using chocolate as a model material, we first demonstrate how to create and control the fracture anisotropy, and the number of cracks, and demonstrate that these properties are captured in mouthfeel experience. We further use topology optimization to rationally design edible metamaterials with maximally anisotropic fracture strength. Our work opens avenues for the use of metamaterials to control fracture and to enhance human-matter interactions.
