Will gloves made of seaweed goo be next Japanese trend to sweep the globe?
Would you wear a pair of seaweed gloves?
Students at a Tokyo high school have created recyclable gloves using fibre found in seaweed slime, and they are strong enough to undertake a range of tasks.
Three students from the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama High School of Science and Technology in Koganei, western Tokyo, developed the gloves for the Japan Science & Engineering Challenge (JSEC) 2023.
They focused their research on alginic acid, a bio-based material found in brown algae and seaweed, which causes sliminess.
Initially, the students attempted to make plastic from the material, but when one student dipped his finger into the solution of sodium alginate, the alginic acid chosen, and then in a liquid solution of calcium chloride, he found his finger was covered in a gel-like layer.
The students, Shuhei Otsuka, Takumi Kaneko and Reo Nishihira, realised that their findings could be used to make gloves that can fit anyone’s hands perfectly.
They then surveyed more than 120 workers who used gloves in different workplace sectors, such as in restaurants, nursing care and other industries so they could develop gloves that are strong enough for a range of tasks.
In the end, the students created a product with a high water content, so the wearer’s hands are protected from heat and cold, and do not feel stuffy.
When the gloves have been used, they can be soaked into a liquid solution of sodium carbonate to revert to their original state of sodium alginate, making them recyclable and environmentally friendly.
The Asahi Shimbun reports Mr Kaneko said: ‘I wished many times to give up on this, but I have managed to stay the course because I saw how other students marvelled at our experiments.’
Mr Otsuka said: ‘I hope we can improve the thickness and strength, and develop commercial products like, for example, antimicrobial gloves and moisturising gloves.’
For their invention, the students were awarded the Denka prize, a major award JSEC, and went to visit a research facility of Denka Co – a Japanese chemical company that awards the prize.
Nobuyuki Yoshino, Denka’s managing executive officer, told the students: ‘The way you conducted a survey and tried to meet demand is wonderful.
‘I hope you will keep progressing with this for a long time, even though you will have to keep experimenting and making mistakes.’