Hydrogel discs have the ability to increase in area by up to 100 times when stretched. This is due to their high elasticity, which allows them to stretch to around 15 times their initial length. Although hydrogels are known for their stretchiness, they often do not return to their original shape when overstretched.
Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing have developed a new type of hydrogel that is both stretchy and maintains its original shape. They achieved this by inserting pearl-necklace chains into the hydrogel structure, made of coiled polymer beads connected by a chain of carbon atoms. These chains can unfurl under strain and rewind when the strain is released.
To create these chains, the researchers dried out the hydrogel so that the polymer chains were attracted to themselves rather than to water molecules. They found that their hydrogel could stretch to nearly 5 meters before quickly returning to its original length. A 2-centimeter-wide disc of the hydrogel could increase 100 times in area before returning to its original size.
The researchers also created inflatable robotic grippers from the hydrogel, designed to handle delicate objects like strawberries. These grippers were extremely damage resistant, able to withstand being stood on or pierced with a needle. Zehuan Huang at Peking University praised the work, stating that this hydrogel represents a major breakthrough in high-performance polymeric materials and will inspire interest in using hyper-elastic gels in soft robotics.
The Dome Classic Track Invitational at East Jackson High School in Jackson on Friday, May…
Apple recently released the new M4 iPad, along with the highly anticipated Apple Pencil Pro.…
Wall Street analysts have recently revised their outlook on several top companies in the market.…
The CAA Baseball Weekly Awards for May 20, 2024 were announced, and the winners were…
Victoria Monét has made the difficult decision to cancel her performances at Governors Ball, Blavity,…
In an effort to enhance domestic clean energy capacity, the Biden administration recently implemented tariffs…