A hyperelastic hydrogel with an ultralarge reversible biaxial strain. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38547271/)

These scientists made a special type of material called a hyperelastic hydrogel. Usually, hydrogels can only stretch a little bit before breaking, but this new material can stretch a lot without breaking. They did this by creating a structure that looks like a necklace made of tiny beads connected by strings. When this material is stretched, the beads can move around and then go back to their original positions, allowing the material to stretch a lot and then quickly go back to normal.

This special hydrogel can stretch up to 10,000% without breaking and can also heal itself quickly if it gets small cuts or holes. The scientists think this material could be used to make things like grippers that can hold onto objects tightly, sense when they are touching something, and repair themselves if they get damaged.

Chen L., Jin Z., Feng W., Sun L., Xu H., Wang C. A hyperelastic hydrogel with an ultralarge reversible biaxial strain. Science. 2024 Mar 29;383(6690):1455-1461. doi: 10.1126/science.adh3632. Epub 2024 Mar 28.