A hydrogel made from water, clay and a “molecular glue” is strong enough to support its own weight. Future, stronger versions could replace plastics (Image: Takuzo Aida and Nature)
Could a mixture of water and clay replace plastics? The desire to wean the world off oil has sparked all manner of research into novel transportation fuels, but manufacturing plastics uses large amounts of oil too. Researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan, think their material could be up to the task.
Takuzo Aida and his team mixed a few grams of clay with 100 grams of water in the…
