Synthetic fabric inspired by polar bear fur is lighter, warmer than cotton, say scientists
Engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have created a synthetic version of polar bear fur that is lighter than cotton and warmer.
The two-layered fabric models the bear's fur and black skin that helps it stay warm.
The researchers' work caps an 80-year quest to create a textile that mimics polar bear fur.
The fabric is already in development for commercial use, according to the researchers.
The textile could be used for outerwear and could use indoor lighting to directly heat the body, making it more sustainable.
Polar bears' white fur transmits solar radiation to their skin, but their black skin is also crucial to their warmth.
The fur acts as a natural fibre optic, conducting sunlight to the skin, which absorbs the light and heats the bear.
The synthetic fabric uses threads to conduct light to a lower layer made of nylon and coated with a dark material called PEDOT, which warms up.
A jacket using this material would be 30 percent lighter than one made of cotton.
Soliyard, a Boston-based company, has already started producing cloth coated in this PEDOT material.