Trembling and chattering of teeth: Our body uses these tricks to warn us of extreme cold. After all, we neither get a thicker layer of skin in winter nor can we easily sleep through the night until spring. We can only protect ourselves from the cold outside with the right clothes – a jacket, gloves, scarf, hood and boots, for example.
Polar bear fur without animal suffering?
Growing thick fur is how animals deal with the cold. For example the polar bear. Thanks to their dense, water-repellent fur and the thick layer of fat under their skin, the cold doesn’t bother them. Sounds practical, some researchers from China thought. And suddenly an idea came to them: Let’s develop artificial fibers that warm just as well as the fur of a polar bear.
No sooner said than done: The researchers examined the animal’s hair very closely and imitated the structure of the hair in the laboratory. Made of a material that is technically called airgel. This refers to a super-light insulation material that consists largely of air. Because this material gives off very little heat, it is even used for spacecraft in space.
Which is why it (almost) failed
The problem: In recent years, people have repeatedly tried to make clothing from aerogels – without success. Because this material is very fragile. In addition, airgel fibers must not come into contact with water. Otherwise, these fibers lose their ability to provide warmth. But the researchers in China did not let this deter them. They freeze-dried the fibers they produced and covered them with a layer of rubber. As a result, their airgel threads suddenly became much more stretchy than usual.
And the practical test also went well. To do this, the researchers wove a thin sweater out of their fibers. A garment that retained heat as well as a down jacket five times as thick. The sweater also warmed much better than other tops made of down, wool or cotton. And it’s suitable for the washing machine too!
It is not yet clear whether and when these sweaters made of super wool will come into stores. At the moment, producing these items of clothing would still be far too time-consuming.
