Polar bear-inspired dream insulation

Biomimetic techniques are called biomimetics. The study of biological tissues and shapes and engineering them. Typical examples are Velcro made with reference to the burdock thorn fruit, or tape made with reference to the sticky feet of a lizard that can be easily removed and has high adhesive strength.

In recent years, there is an insulation material that is inspired by the structure of the head of a polar bear that lives in extreme land. It is said that this insulating material, which has high thermal insulation properties and good waterproofness and elasticity, can be expected to be applied in construction and aerospace applications.

Professor Shu-Hong Yu of China University of Science and Technology says polar bear fur is an excellent model for synthetic insulation that is optimized to prevent heat loss in low temperature and high humidity environments. It is explained that by making a carbon aerogel tube, it is possible to create a similar elastic material that hardly loses quality over the life of the product.

Unlike the heads of mammals including humans, the head of a polar bear has a hollow. This structure has long been known to be responsible for the characteristic white color of polar bears. It is also a desirable property for heat insulating materials as the source of excellent heat preservation ability, water resistance, and elasticity.

In order to mimic this structure and make it practically sized, the research team created millions of hollow carbon tubes equivalent to one hair. After organizing it in an airgel block like spaghetti and comparing it with other aerogels, he found that the hollow tube design inspired by the polar bear was lighter and more resistant to heat flow.

Not only that, but it also has high waterproofing and elasticity, and it has excellent engineering applicability. The research team says that the next step is to make the insulation material not in cm but in m and aim for industrial use. As it is not easy to mass-produce carbon tube materials now, it aims to produce larger sizes for aerospace applications. Related information can be found here .