Successfully fabricated 'hydrogel' fabric, five times stronger than steel

Scientists have created a new type of hydrogel material in the form of fibers, which when combined together into sheets, is five times more rigid than carbon steel, yet flexible enough to bend.

Researchers from Japan's Hokkaido University have developed the fiber, called soft composite fiber (FRSC), by combining hydrogel with high content of water and fiberglass.

" This material has many potential applications due to its reliability, durability and flexibility ," said researcher Jian Ping Gong.

Broken hydrogel material is as soft as fabric but 5 times stronger than steel. Photo: Hokkaido University.

Placing two types of materials close together to combine their strength is a long-standing human ancestor, such as straw and mud, which are two types of soft material, but when mixed together they can produce hard bricks.

This idea comes from creating a metamaterial, which combines the best parts of materials commonly found in nature. The hydrogel's superiority is its ability to withstand high loads and prevent breakage, while fiberglass strives to be tough and durable.

When combined, the atoms will suck together, exchange charged particles, making the dominant properties of the two materials blend and become optimal. This method will be used to create new rubber in the next study.

This material will be used to create tendons and artificial ligaments, to better heal wounds; Or create robots with soft tissue because of the lack of flexibility of the previous generation of robots significantly reduced their ability.