Polar bear-inspired material could be the future of insulating textiles

A new aerogel fibre, inspired by polar bear fur, can be knitted into insulating garments that are as warm as a down jacket at one-fifth of the thickness. The strong, stretchy material can be dyed and washed without showing signs of degradation.

‘This research marks a significant stride in overcoming aerogel limitations in textiles, facilitating the creation of high-mechanical performance, stretchable, and multifunctional aerogel-based fibres,’ says Shengjie Ling, a materials chemist at ShanghaiTech University, China, who was not involved in the research. ‘The pivotal breakthrough in crafting washable and dyeable stretchable aerogel fibres holds transformative potential for the textile industry.’