Materials

"Super jelly" becomes like shatterproof glass when run over by a car

A new "super jelly" hydrogel can withstand high compressive forces without being crushed
University of Cambridge
A new "super jelly" hydrogel can withstand high compressive forces without being crushed
University of Cambridge

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new type of soft material with an ability to endure monumental forces. Described as "super jelly," the novel hydrogel uses a unique internal structure likened to molecular handcuffs to respond to compression by entering a glass-like state, enabling it to be run over by a car without being crushed.

Hydrogels are of much interest to materials scientists. Their high water content makes them suitable for use in the human body, and affords them stretchy and self-healing properties that can be put to use in robotics, advanced contact lenses, artificial tissues and wound healing. The authors of this new study sought to expand on these capabilities by tweaking the underlying molecular structure.

“In order to make materials with the mechanical properties we want, we use crosslinkers, where two molecules are joined through a chemical bond,” says Dr Zehuan Huang, the study’s first author. “We use reversible crosslinkers to make soft and stretchy hydrogels, but making a hard and compressible hydrogel is difficult and designing a material with these properties is completely counterintuitive.”

To achieve this, the scientists turned to barrel-shaped molecules called cucurbiturils, which "handcuff" pairs of other molecules together inside its cavity. They then used molecules designed especially to remain inside this cavity for longer than usual, which has the effect of keeping the network tightly linked and enabling it to vary from a rubber-like state to one resembling ultra-hard, shatterproof glass.

According to the team, this enables the "super jelly" to withstand forces equivalent to an elephant standing on top of it without being crushed. With no elephants on hand, the team put the material to the test by running over it in a car instead, demonstrating how it could revert to its original shape.

“At 80 percent water content, you’d think it would burst apart like a water balloon, but it doesn’t: it stays intact and withstands huge compressive forces,” says Professor Oren A. Scherman, who led the research. “The properties of the hydrogel are seemingly at odds with each other.”

The scientists also used the novel material to make a pressure sensor for human motions, such as standing, walking and jumping. They are now continuing to develop the material with a view to adapting it for biomedical applications, such as cartilage replacement, and potentially soft robotics.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that glass-like hydrogels have been made," says Huang. "We’re not just writing something new into the textbooks, which is really exciting, but we’re opening a new chapter in the area of high-performance soft materials."

The research was published in the journal Nature Materials, while you can see the super jelly get run over in the video below.

Source: University of Cambridge

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6 comments
FB36
It maybe this or not but I think a jelly-like strong/durable material that can replace air in all tires would be something extremely useful!
holdenmidfield
I've been imagining sports stockings for footie players that had these characteristics... soft and flexible until they are kicked, especially around the foot and ankle areas.
Omar Scarborough
This amazing compound seems like it could be a great fit for body armor. Possibilities seem endless.
notarichman
remove the metal sheet, run over it at high speed, check deformity, use it as asphalt replacement.
check traction under multiple conditions, i.e. icy, wet, snow, dust...check afterwards.
check what happens when hydrogel layer is under asphalt or concrete or glassphalt.
recycled tires have been used for road coatings, use the hydrogel on top or under them.
use for body armor?
check fire resistance.
use for airplane landing strips? aircraft carrier landing?
check structural qualities for use in military aircraft bodies as armor...80% water means probably too heavy, but thin sheets?
might be useful against flack.
surround munitions storage on military ships.
check friction and sideways torque properties. i.e. stopping a car on a layer of it.
check effects of heat and cold on it. freezing destroys it?
Rsm
I can "imagine" a like described material being useful, but since I couldn't see how it reacted (since it was covered up) how can I know what it actually did? I could probably do the same thing with my kitchen sponge.
michael_dowling
My brother has osteoarthritis of the knees,and they want to replace the joints with artificial ones. If this stuff could stand in for natural cartilage,it would be fantastic.