Future of Engineering

Terrence Cosgrove, a professor in this town in western England, imagined a world where chewing gum did not stick to sidewalks and shoes, theater seats or hair. Because Cosgrove studies polymers - the chemical compounds that, among other things, make plastics plastic and chewing gum chewy - his was no idle dream. If he could find the right chemical mixture, the professor surmised, he could retain the chewy without the sticky.

The inspiration for Cosgrove's non-stick chewing gum came on a trip to academic conferences in the United States - not in a conference hall, but on American sidewalks, where he noticed wads of hardened chewing gum. Eventually, his team came up with a formulation of polymers that would not stick. To determine whether it came off sidewalks and other surfaces, they pitted it against standard chewing gums on main streets across western England. While the other gums stuck, Cosgrove's rinsed off with rainwater - "though some surfaces are better than others," he said, calling leather a "terrible" magnet.

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Labels: Chemical-Engineering, Design-Engineering