A research team from the Hokuriku University of Science and Technology in Japan issued a message saying that they extracted a superabsorbent from the seaweed that grows in the Japanese waters. This substance can absorb 6 liters of water in only 1 gram. It is currently commercially available. 5 times the material's performance.
The seaweed called “Shuizenji Nori†used by the researchers is a very high-quality food in Japan. Japanese scientists named the water-absorbing substance "Saku Lang," which is a homonym with Japanese cherry blossoms.
"Sakurang" is made up of as many as 100,000 sugar molecules. This long sugar molecule combines with water molecules and can absorb 6000 times its own weight of water. In addition to high water absorption, this substance also has a strong moisture retention. Tests have shown that 30% of the water absorbed by this material does not evaporate even at high temperatures of 80°C or higher, and it does not freeze at low temperatures below 0°C. The researchers emphasized that because of the fact that it is extracted from food, Sa Kura has no problem in terms of safety, and will have a wide range of applications in the fields of moisturizing cosmetics and medical products covering wounds.
At present, the moisture-absorbing and moisturizing material used in the moisturizing cosmetics sold on the market is mainly a substance called hyaluronic acid, but once the material meets saline, the water absorption capacity becomes only one-fifth of the original. The newly discovered “Saku Lang†not only has hygroscopicity and hygroscopicity that exceeds hyaluronic acid, but also maintains its ability to absorb water even when it encounters saline solution. Therefore, hyaluronic acid has a tendency to replace hyaluronic acid in the field of moisturizing cosmetics.