An artificial fiber that imitates polar bear fur has been turned into a sweater that is claimed to be as warm as down feather but without its thickness – an innovation that many scientists find questionable.
By James Woodford
A fiber that mimics polar bear fur has the potential to revolutionize the next generation of space suits, military uniforms, and clothing for extreme cold environments. Zhejiang University, China, under the direction of its creators, has transformed the artificial fiber into a sweater that is said to rival the warmth of down feather, a renowned natural insulator, while only being a fraction of its thickness.
Sparking skepticism is the team’s claim about the strength and stretchability of the sweater, with some experts arguing insufficient evidence has been provided to support it.
Hao Bai, a team member, explains that polar bear fur consists of a highly porous core with a dense shell. In contrast, the artificial material features an “aerogel” encased in a rubberized exterior, which holds large volumes of air to provide warmth.
Moreover, the fiber’s practicality has been tested with 10,000 stretches, showing no loss of structure. It boasts a stretchability of up to 1600 percent and the strength to lift a 500-gram mass with a single fiber.
As per the researchers, the sweater knitted from this fiber is significantly thinner than down while offering the same level of warmth, along with excellent washability and dyeability. The findings suggest that such textiles show great potential in military uniforms and space suits for use in frigid environments.
Lisa Lake at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia commends the researchers for using synthetic materials to replicate polar bear fur’s insulating properties. However, Christopher Hurren at Deakin University is skeptical about the claims given the limited data presented.
It is also noted that many animals, including beavers, camels, and Australia’s brush-tailed possum, have fur similar to polar bears. Furthermore, the transparency of polar bear fur fibers, not just their structure, is a significant contributing factor to their insulating capabilities.
