新型汽車竟由水果製成 兩年後問世

Cars made from pineapples and bananas could be on the roads in as little as two years, claim scientists. In what promises to be the ultimate green development, researchers in Brazil have used fibres from the plants to create a new generation of super-strong car bodies. They believe the material may in future not only be used to build car bodies, but also engine parts. Car parts? Scientists have used fibres from banana and pineapple plants to create a new generation of super-strong automotive plastics

在好萊塢動畫片《汽車總動員》中的Q版汽車讓我們過目不忘，汽車會說話？汽車能拯救世界？關於未來汽車的無數個問號在我們腦海中暢遊，而科學家是這樣告訴你答案的：未來兩年內，用菠蘿以及香蕉製造的汽車會問世。在倡導保護環境的呼聲下，來自巴西的研究專家用“植物纖維”製造出了世界上“最強韌汽車骨架（塑料骨架）”，此外，專家還認爲這些“水果材料”不僅僅會用來製造汽車的骨架，而且在不遠的將來還會用來製造“引擎部分”，看來，科技的力量是巨大的，人的想象力是完全可以在現實中付諸於應用的。

（圖片來源於網絡）

The plastics, which are strengthened by the fruit fibres, are already being tested by manufacturers who believe they could be used in cars within two years. Dr Alcides Leao, from Sao Paulo State University, said reinforcing plastic with microscopic fibres from delicate fruits such as pineapples and bananas made them super-strong. 'The properties of these plastics are incredible,' he told the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, California. 'They are light, but very strong - 30 per cent lighter and three to four times stronger than regular plastic.

據悉，這種汽車塑料骨架不完全是用水果製造的，而是用“水果纖維”來加固，此舉已經得到相關部門的證實，並在未來2年內正式投入使用。來自聖保羅州立大學的研究員Dr Alcides Leao說：“大自然的力量是神奇的，菠蘿以及香蕉的顯微纖維可以起到加強、加固的作用，加固汽車骨架的堅固度。”此外，據美國化學協會稱，用水果纖維製造的塑料比普通塑料要“輕”，一般能減輕重量高達30%，在硬度上能達到普通塑料的3到4倍。