Some of you may have heard of those reusable ice packs that people sometimes put in their drinks to make them cold in the absence of ice cubes. A bit of an odd problem to solve, sure, but the need is certainly there.
While I cannot say what the researchers from the University of California – Davis (UCDavis) had in mind when they crafted this pretty unique invention, they certainly got an outcome that fits the needs of those who choose to eschew the use of normal ice cubes.
Enter the newly-developed freezable hydrogel, composed of roughly 10% protein-derived gelatin and around 90% water. This water does not escape the hydrogel, and is instead locked within the structure of the gelatin network. It can be cut into various shapes and forms, simply by cutting the hydrogel to your desired shape.
This wouldn’t be the first time hydrogels made headlines this year; just a few months prior, another team made use of the novel material to make treatment methodologies for patients suffering from diabetic skin ulcers.
Nevertheless, these gelatin-based hydrogels contain no synthetic compounds, making these reusable ice cubes completely biodegradable. Tests also show that they can be reused some twelve (12) times before the onset of said degradation from the freeze-thaw cycles, and can be rinsed off simply by using water or a diluted bleach solution.
According to the team, the use of these non-melting hydrogels reduces the risk of cross-contamination between perishable items; this, they say, is all the more important in the transport of food from processing plants.
Future steps in this novel study, whose efforts were spearheaded by UCDavis professor Gang Sun and PhD graduate student Jiahan Zou, entail sourcing the protein-based hydrogel network from more sustainable sources, like those sourced from agricultural waste.
This particular study was published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering.
References
- Coxworth, B. (2021, November 22). Freezable hydrogel offers a reusable alternative to ice cubes. New Atlas. https://newatlas.com/materials/reusable-jelly-ice-cubes/
- Zou, J., Wang, L., & Sun, G. (2021). Sustainable and reusable gelatin-based hydrogel “jelly ice cubes” as food coolant. I: Feasibilities and challenges. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9(46), 15357–15364. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c02853
