Lili Chen and her team at Tsinghua University in Beijing developed a new type of hydrogel that is both stretchy and maintains its original shape. They inserted pearl-necklace chains into the hydrogel structure, made up of coiled polymer beads connected by a chain of carbon atoms. These chains can unfurl under strain and rewind when the strain is released. By drying out the hydrogel, the polymer chains were attracted to themselves, enabling the hydrogel to stretch to impressive lengths before returning to its original length.
This versatile material was used to create inflatable robotic grippers capable of gently handling delicate objects like strawberries. These grippers were extremely damage resistant, able to withstand a person standing on them or being pierced with a needle. In experiments, the researchers found that a 30-centimetre length of their hydrogel could stretch to nearly 5 metres before returning to its original size in a few seconds. A 2-centimetre-wide disc of the hydrogel could increase 100 times in area before returning to its original size.
The combination of stretchiness and elasticity in this hydrogel opens up new possibilities in both materials science and soft robotics. Experts, such as Zehuan Huang at Peking University in China, note that this work represents a significant advancement in high-performance polymeric materials. The potential applications for this material are vast, from creating new types of robots to improving medical devices for joint replacement surgery.
According to research by Lili Chen et al., a hydrogel disc can increase 100 times in area when stretched, making it one of the most elastic materials known. This hydrogel is extremely stretchy and can stretch up to around 15 times its initial length without losing its shape.
The researchers at Tsinghua University developed this new kind of hydrogel by inserting pearl-necklace chains into the structure, made up of coiled polymer beads connected by a chain of carbon atoms. These chains can unfurl under strain and rewind when the strain is released.
In experiments, the researchers found that their hydrogel could stretch impressively long distances before returning to its original size in just seconds.
This versatile material has been used successfully as an inflatable robotic gripper capable of handling delicate objects like strawberries without causing damage.
Lili Chen’s research team created an inflatable robotic gripper using their newly developed hyper-elastic gel material.
These grippers were incredibly durable and could withstand being stood on or poked with needles without breaking apart.
According to Zehuan Huang at Peking University, this work represents an exciting advancement in high-performance polymeric materials.
Experts believe that this study opens up new possibilities for materials science and soft robotics.
Lili Chen’s research has enormous implications for various industries ranging from robotics manufacturing to healthcare technology development.
