Unlike rubber bands, molecular bonds may not break faster when pulled
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - 10:42
in Physics & Chemistry
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- From balloons to rubber bands, things always break faster when stretched. Or do they? University of Illinois scientists studying chemical bonds now have shown this isn't always the case, and their results may have profound implications for the stability of proteins to mechanical stress and the design of new high-tech polymers.