A Sustainable Innovation by High School Students
Three high school students from Tokyo Metropolitan Tama High School of Science and Technology have developed a revolutionary type of glove made from seaweed slime. This innovative project has earned them the prestigious Denka prize at the Japan Science & Engineering Challenge (JSEC) 2023.
The trio, Shuhei Otsuka, Takumi Kaneko, and Reo Nishihira, focused their research on alginic acid, a dietary fiber found in seaweed. Their initial goal was to create plastic from alginic acid, but they encountered difficulties.
One day, Nishihira playfully dipped his finger into an aqueous solution of sodium alginate and then into an aqueous solution of calcium chloride. To their surprise, his finger became covered in a gel-like layer of transparent, gooey calcium alginate. This sparked the idea of creating gloves that could perfectly fit anyone's hands.
The students conducted a survey of over 120 workers who use gloves in various industries, including restaurants and nursing care. Their goal was to develop comfortable and practical gloves. Through experimentation with different aqueous solution concentrations, they successfully created prototypes that were strong enough for various tasks.
The gloves offer several advantages. Their high water content shields the wearer's hands from heat and cold while also preventing stuffiness. Additionally, the gloves are recyclable. Soaking them in an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate reverts them to their original sodium alginate form.
The students were invited to visit Denka Co., the chemical manufacturer that awarded the prize. They toured Denka's Innovation Center and received a certificate of merit. Denka's managing executive officer, Nobuyuki Yoshino, praised their approach, stating, "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."
Despite facing challenges, the students persevered. Kaneko shared, "I wished many times to give up on this, but I have managed to stay the course because I saw how other students marveled at our experiments." Otsuka expressed their aspirations for the future, stating, "I hope we can improve the thickness and strength, and develop commercial products like, for example, antimicrobial gloves and moisturizing gloves."
This innovative project demonstrates the potential of seaweed slime as a sustainable material for various applications. The students' dedication and ingenuity have paved the way for further development and potential commercialization of their seaweed slime gloves.