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Researchers have recycled clothing waste into an “aerogel” supermaterial that can help stop wound bleeding

March 11, 2018 -

The cotton aerogels, which are comprised of cotton and cellulose and coated with chitosan, are a marked improvement over the paper waste aerogels that the team had previously worked on. According to Dr. Hai Minh Duong, an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the cotton aerogels possess various desirable qualities such as being ultralight, highly compressible, and stronger. All these properties combined make them more suitable ...

Turning up the heat: Newly developed material can block solar heat from escaping

March 25, 2020 -

The material, a new kind of aerogel, is a lightweight material consisting mostly of air with a structure made of silica—the same material used for making glass. As described in the journal ACS Nano, the material lets sunlight pass through, but blocks solar heat from escaping. This mechanism allows the aerogel to generate temperatures higher than 200 C (398 F).Creating a new, transparent aerogel

To efficiently collect solar heat, the team had ...

Future aerogels inspired by the wings of a dragonfly

June 26, 2018 -

Aerogel is a synthetic material derived from a gel, a mixture where liquid particles are dispersed throughout a solid medium. Aerogel differs from other gels – gelatin, for example – in that its liquid components have been replaced with gas. This gives aerogel its extremely low density – so low that a piece the size of a family car is no heavier than a kilogram. It is so light that its descriptive names include “solid air” and “frozen smoke.”

It ...

Scientists develop “nanowood” that works like styrofoam for construction, but it’s lighter and stronger

April 08, 2018 - aerogel. That's particularly impressive since the latter has been awarded "best insulator" by the Guinness Book of World Records. (Related: Plastic containers are poisoning you and your family).

The engineers revealed that the secret to making nanowood, and perhaps the reason it's so effective, lies in their removal of lignin. This is the part of trees that makes them brown and rigid, so without them, nanowood turns up white. The engineers also removed short fibers ...

New material made from recycled plastic bottles could help reduce water pollution

February 21, 2019 -

Aerogels are a form of synthetic gel where the liquid part has been replaced by a gas. The result is an ultralight and translucent material with very low density and similarly low heat conductivity.

There are many expected uses for these aerogels. They can serve as insulators that maintain the temperature inside containers, or protect important items from fire. Some aerogels can even be used to clean up oil spills.

The National University ...

Swiss fashion company creates 100% compostable clothes

April 20, 2020 - aerogel” supermaterial that can help stop wound bleeding.)

F-ABRIC uses a base of natural fibers, like linen and hemp, at the same time intentionally avoiding industry-standard materials like organic cotton due to its high water footprint. From there, it sources other biodegradable materials for other portions of its apparel. It uses buttons made of ivory nuts from South America, it did away with plastic tags and instead printed its care instructions directly onto ...

Scientists develop new insulation material inspired by polar bears

February 04, 2020 - aerogel block. Shu-Hong Yu, a professor of chemistry at USTC and the study’s co-senior author, said that by making the material out of carbon tubes, they were able to design something that traps heat without degrading noticeably over its lifetime.

Aside from the resulting material being an efficient insulator, it was also much lighter than other currently existing aerogels and insulation components, as well as water-proof and “extraordinarily stretchy” ...

Biomaterials used in novel injectable bandage that can be used in warfare

June 05, 2018 -

One of the leading causes of death among injured soldiers is the massive loss of blood due to deep or severe wounds. In particular, shrapnel from explosives like IEDs can inflict deeply-penetrating wounds that hemorrhage blood at a huge rate. Soldiers and medics need first aid materials that can stop such massive blood loss. Such materials need to be simple enough to apply, even by the wounded soldier himself. (Related: Researchers have recycled clothing waste into an “aerogel” ...

Scientists develop new insulation material inspired by polar bears

January 07, 2020 - aerogel block. Shu-Hong Yu, a professor of chemistry at USTC and the study’s co-senior author, said that by making the material out of carbon tubes, they were able to design something that traps heat without degrading noticeably over its lifetime.

Aside from the resulting material being an efficient insulator, it was also much lighter than other currently existing aerogels and insulation components, as well as water-proof and “extraordinarily stretchy” — even ...