{"id":3384,"date":"2021-12-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3384"},"modified":"2021-11-29T08:35:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T08:35:49","slug":"new-super-jelly-hydrogel-acts-like-shatter-proof-glass-when-under-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/new-super-jelly-hydrogel-acts-like-shatter-proof-glass-when-under-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"New \u201cSuper Jelly\u201d Hydrogel Acts Like Shatter-Proof Glass When Under Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Earlier this year, they were used to <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/diabetic-skin-ulcers-find-treatment-with-hydrogels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">treat skin ulcers from patients suffering from diabetes<\/a>; next, they were posited as <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/reusable-and-freezable-hydrogels-skip-the-need-for-ice-cubes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the next reusable alternative to ice cubes<\/a>. It appears that the continuous developments in the field of hydrogel research is catapulting the technology into new heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This new study is certainly a step in that direction; and much like the outstanding properties of the hydrogels before it, this too relies on its chemical and physical characteristics to enable its truly unique function. Unlike the previous hydrogels reported by our team, however, this one quite literally won\u2019t break under pressure easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u2018Super jelly\u2019 can survive being run over by a car\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mSyi9pWuTgE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> Cambridge University researchers developed a special kind of hydrogel, made of 80% water, than can withstand the weight of an elephant on itself without distorting much of its structure. This particular clip was uploaded by the institution\u2019s YouTube channel. (Cambridge University, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The new material, nicknamed the \u201csuper jelly\u201d by its research team, was the result of a study published in the journal <em>Nature Materials<\/em>. This particularly strong hydrogel was the brainchild of a team of Cambridge University researchers guided by Professor Oren A. Scherman, director of the university\u2019s very own Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u201csuper jelly\u201d was made from polymer precursors that had high compatibility with its specially-selected crosslinkers, while also maintaining the ability to be modified to exhibit desired properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors used certain crosslinking molecules called <em>cucurbiturils<\/em>, which are barrel-shaped molecules that can \u201c[hold] two guest molecules in its cavity\u2014like a molecular handcuff,\u201d according to the press release by Cambridge University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt 80% water content, you\u2019d think it would burst apart like a water balloon, but it doesn\u2019t: it stays intact and withstands huge compressive forces. The properties of the hydrogel are seemingly at odds with each other.\u201d (Hydrogels are named as such due to their structural ability to \u201cswell\u201d in the presence of water, absorbing it in the process.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/EsIPUoyZE85sh1QEqcHEsGoihezjUYGSIU4a6lVk4oMJQjOZ_UEqy1UxWYsTZwjtG9ekAVfXWGU_LBnn4wTabejHsZOdAX8Xxt3AI0Uar-caQWKBdLf4tsR1x33P15fNkny-aOee\" ><figcaption> The \u201cSuper Jelly\u201d hydrogel by Dr. Huang and team is said to be capable of withstanding the weight of an elephant on itself, and still return to its original shape after being stepped on. (Kincade, 2019) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Said co-author Dr. Jade McCune: \u201cThe way the hydrogel can withstand compression was surprising; it wasn\u2019t like anything we\u2019ve seen in hydrogels. We also found that the compressive strength could be easily controlled through simply changing the chemical structure of the guest molecule inside the [cucurbituril] handcuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team used this bizarre mix of polymer constituents to make a hydrogel pressure sensor that\u2019s designed to monitor usual human motions, like walking or jumping. This engineered hydrogel looks and feels \u201csoft\u201d and \u201csquishy\u201d when interacted with normally. It does something truly exceptional when under compressive stress, however; it begins to act like \u201cshatter-proof glass,\u201d making it the first \u201cglass-like\u201d hydrogel of its kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that glass-like hydrogels have been made. We\u2019re not just writing something new into the textbooks, which is really exciting, but we\u2019re opening a new chapter in the area of high-performance soft materials,\u201d said first author Dr. Zehuan Huang from the university\u2019s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much like its intended use, Dr. Scherman and team plan to continue their research into creating and modifying these glass-like hydrogels for bioelectronics applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"references\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Huang, Z., Chen, X., O\u2019Neill, S. J. K., Wu, G., Whitaker, D. J., Li, J., McCune, J. A., &amp; Scherman, O. A. (2021). Highly compressible glass-like supramolecular polymer networks. <em>Nature Materials<\/em>, 1\u20137. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41563-021-01124-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41563-021-01124-x<\/a><\/li><li>Nield, D. (2021, November 27). <em>New \u2018super jelly\u2019 is 80 percent water and can survive being run over by a car<\/em>. ScienceAlert. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/new-super-jelly-is-80-percent-water-and-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/new-super-jelly-is-80-percent-water-and-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car<\/a><\/li><li><em>\u2018Super jelly\u2019 can survive being run over by a car<\/em>. (2021, November 25). University of Cambridge. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/super-jelly-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/super-jelly-can-survive-being-run-over-by-a-car<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Earlier this year, they were used to treat skin ulcers from patients suffering from diabetes; next, they were&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[243],"class_list":{"0":"post-3384","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-engineering","8":"tag-hydrogel","9":"cs-entry","10":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3386,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3384\/revisions\/3386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}