Transparent crab shells could lead to better bendy screens, solar cells

There may come a time when your TVs and phones are partly made of crabs, thanks to a new study by a group of researchers from Kyoto University. The researchers developed a method to turn crab shells transparent, so they can be used to make bendy displays, flat panel screens, and solar cells.

Muhammad Iftekhar Shams and his team treated a crab shell with various acids and chemicals to strip off its pigments, fats, proteins, minerals, and lipids. What's left was a white shell made of pure chitin, which is the main component of crustacean shells. This white chitin shell underwent further treatment, immersed in a substance called acrylic resin monomer that transformed it into a glass-like object.

Upon having achieved the desired result, the team used the same process with powdered crab shells spread on a flat surface. The experiment succeeded, and they were able to create a transparent panel with 10 times the heat resistance of common display materials. This means it's more stable even when heated, making it ideal for use on electronic devices and solar cells.

Chitin could be a great substitute to current electronic components. After all, it's a common material found not only on crabs but on other crustaceans, insects, cell walls of fungi, and even the beaks of squids and octopi.

[Image credit: Wikimedia]

[via Arstechnica]

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

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