Chinese chemical engineers from Zhejiang University have developed airgel textiles that are superior to cotton, wool and down in retaining heat. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Science.
Scientists were inspired by the properties of polar bear fur in their studies. The fur coat of a polar predator consists of hairs with a porous core and a hard shell.
Experts tried to recreate a similar structure using airgel, which was freeze-dried and coated with a durable and flexible coating.
The result is a fine round fiber. The researchers note that no post-processing is required to produce such textiles. This means that fabric made from such material will be cheap to produce.
The team then made a sweater out of airgel and tested how it retained heat at temperatures as low as -20°C. The resulting garments showed better thermal insulation properties than most natural materials.
Additionally, the sweater withstood 10,000 stretches without suffering serious damage. Scientists noted that airgel fabric can be dyed and otherwise processed without losing its properties.
experts before developed Drone for extinguishing fires with airgel protection.