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However, the research team explained that the application of aerogels in insulating fibers for textiles has been limited because of their fragility and poor processability.

Not only do they lack the strength and stretchability needed to weave or knit them into practical textiles, but current aerogel fibers are not machine washable and quickly lose their thermal insulation capability in wet or humid environments.

Mimicking the core-shell structure of polar bear hair, the Chinese researchers used a freeze-spinning approach to create a strong polymeric aerogel fiber.

They then encapsulated it with a thin, stretchable rubber layer.

Wu said the resulting encapsulated aerogel fiber (EAF) achieves "excellent" thermal insulation performance while also being mechanically robust, making it suitable for knitting or weaving.

Despite the fiber’s high internal porosity, the Chinese study - published in the journal Science - showed that the fiber is stretchable up to 1,000 percent strain – a "significant" improvement compared to traditional aerogel fibers, which only achieve around two percent strain.

Wu added: "The fiber maintained its thermal insulation properties with minimal impact even after 10,000 repeated stretching cycles at 100 percent strain."

The researchers also showed that the EAF is both washable and dyeable.