Yue Jessica Wang, who carried out the project from the University of California, USA, said: “When I mix cornstarch and water slowly, the spoon moves slightly. But when you try to lift the spoon and put it back into the mixture, it won't go back in. It’s like stabbing a hard surface.”
Wang said that based on this, they developed a material that hardens when impacted and has conductive properties.
To do this, the researchers first prepared an aqueous solution consisting of four different polymers, then spread this solution thinly and dried it.
In experiments with the solid polymer layer, it was observed that the material became harder when impacted.
Di Wu, who was involved in the research, said that they used two positively and two negatively charged types of polymers in the mixture, and the substance became harder due to the interaction between them.
The scientist, who compared this interaction to meatballs and spaghetti, said: “The positively charged molecules gather into meatball-like microstructures because they don't like water.” The researcher said that these meatball-like structures can absorb the energy of collisions without breaking apart.
Wang explained that in the future, in addition to smartwatches, the material could also be used in sensors for monitoring cardiovascular diseases and in various clothing items.
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