Create the composite hydrogel 5 times stronger than carbon steel Bashny.Net

Hydrogels have shown great potential applications in various fields, their use was limited only by their lack of strength. A team of scientists from Hokkaido University have developed a new kind of hydrogel composites that combine the quality of the hydrogel and fibers, creating a material that is five times stronger than carbon steel.





Composite materials are used by mankind for thousands of years. A very soft substance, such as dirt, can be strong enough to make the bricks, if you add the straw, which will serve as binder. The same applies to the addition of crushed ceramic bricks, shells, fragments of ceramic or glass fibers to plastic materials. Hydrogels are made from hydrophilic polymer materials which absorb up to 90 percent water. They are not very durable, but by adding glass nanofibers, researchers have created a tough, flexible and elastic material.





According to the researchers, the composite hydrogels was remarkably strong, probably due to the dynamic ionic bonding between the fibers and the hydrogel. Based on the amount of energy required to fracture the material, the composite hydrogel was 25 times stronger than the glass fiber cloth, 100 times stronger than hydrogels, and five times stronger than carbon steel.

"Reinforced hydrogels contain 40 percent water and are environmentally friendly. The material can be used in various fields due to its reliability, durability and flexibility," says Jian Ping Gong, one of the authors of the study.

 

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

Source: ecotechnology