A research team including Israel’s Hebrew University announced the development of a composite material called ‘BioPykrete,’ which has roughly 10 times the compressive strength of ordinary ice. While regular ice shatters all at once under strong force, this material doesn’t break suddenly — it gradually deforms instead — and it’s envisioned as a building material for use in the Arctic and Antarctic. Reactions on 5ch split largely into two camps: food-related jokes referencing things like azuki bars and Turkish ice cream, and more technical discussion pointing out the reinforcement mechanism using cellulose nanofibers and its resemblance to the WWII-era ‘Project Habakkuk’ iceberg aircraft carrier plan. Some comments also questioned what the ‘compressive strength’ metric actually means, with opinions split over whether this is simply about hardness or how it would actually perform in practical use.
‘Super ice’ with roughly 10 times the compressive strength of ordinary ice has been developed
A research team including Israel’s Hebrew University has developed a composite material called ‘BioPykrete,’ which has roughly 10 times the compressive strength of regular ice.
While ordinary ice shatters all at once under strong force, BioPykrete doesn’t break suddenly — instead, it gradually deforms.
＞We're considering it as a candidate building material for the Arctic and Antarctic
There are the Eskimo (Inuit, maybe?) packed-snow block igloos, but
in Antarctica, a house made of this 'Super Ice' would probably hold up better
Meanwhile Super Cup (the Glico ice cream brand) discontinued their matcha flavor though
5AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:35
Behold, the Azuki Bar Aircraft Carrier!
6AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:41
Mix in carbon fiber and additives, compress and stir it together, and boom — Super Ice.
Same idea as concrete.
Just can't recycle it though.
7AnonymousOct 15, 2026 00:43
This would make the ultimate murder weapon for a mystery novel —
melt it and the evidence disappears.
Might even work as an air-gun pellet.
Just remember to wear leather gloves, or your sweat will give away your DNA.
8AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:01
Wait, are we talking about azuki bars here?
9AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:17
Wonder if whiskey on the rocks with this would taste good
10AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:21
If it's hard and slow to melt, that'd be great in summer —
bite-size pieces you could just keep in your mouth forever
12AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:28
Sounds like a next-level version of Turkish ice cream (dondurma) — sounds tasty
13AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:34
Doesn't matter to me — I think ice cream tastes best once it's started melting
I already let mine sit for 15 minutes after taking it out of the freezer; who knows how many hours this stuff would need
14AnonymousOct 15, 2026 01:43
If I packed this ice for a picnic, would everything stay ice-cold the whole time? 🥺
15AnonymousOct 15, 2026 02:52
Gonna team up with Imuraya-san (makers of the azuki bar). SHALL DO SO.
16AnonymousOct 15, 2026 02:53
Sometimes when you drop ice into a drink it cracks with a sharp 'pak' — if this dense ice did the same thing, would it shatter explosively? Or does the compression give it enough strength to resist that?
17AnonymousOct 15, 2026 03:28
Won't it just explode?
18AnonymousOct 15, 2026 04:08
This is perfect for pulling off the perfect crime.
19AnonymousOct 15, 2026 04:36
The one flaw with this invention: it melts when it's warm!
Shocking, I know!
20AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:29
Is it even safe to eat that stuff?
21AnonymousOct 15, 2026 06:33
Wouldn't this run afoul of Meiji's trademark?
…oh wait, 'Super Cup' is a Glico thing, not Meiji, isn't it?
22AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:32
Come on, bump up the mass more.
23AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:35
It's about compressive strength, right?
Haven't read the source so I'm not sure, but isn't this more about 'resisting compression' rather than just being hard or high-pressure?
Well, not sure what that's actually useful for, though.
Can you shape it under compression after it's frozen?
Like, could you press block ice to easily make the snow statues for the Sapporo Snow Festival?
24AnonymousOct 15, 2026 07:44
Sounds like it's basically cellulose nanofiber bound together with ice.
Sure, it's strong and being a natural material it won't pollute the environment, but…
feels pointless to use ice as the binder.
Wouldn't it be better if the binding material itself were natural too?
26AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:07
If it doesn't melt, it's no good for chilling drinks.
27AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:21
Would be great for iced tea if it doesn't dilute the drink.
28AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:38
I feel like there was a perfect-crime trick using an icicle somewhere — this could pull off the same thing.
29AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:39
Wasn't there something like Ice I through Ice XXII or so for the different ice phases?
30AnonymousOct 15, 2026 08:47
Still can't beat Shinkansen ice cream though lol (famous for being rock-hard when served)
31AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:09
Could be used as armor plating for an iceberg aircraft carrier.
32AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:20
Real 'high-minded' stuff (he wrote 登/'ascend' but glossed it くだらない/'pointless' — i.e. it's actually dumb) lol lol
33AnonymousOct 15, 2026 09:45
Pretty sure azuki bars would make a sturdier building material.
34AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:37
Could come in handy for ice-type magic.
35AnonymousOct 15, 2026 11:52
It's just compressive strength, so it's not actually all that useful.
36AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:07
Would an ice rink made of this be easier or harder to skate on, I wonder.
37AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:16
Guess you'll need a Super Ice Pick to go with your Super Ice.
38AnonymousOct 15, 2026 12:35
Imuraya, hurry up and stock up on this —
this is bigger than just azuki bars.
39AnonymousOct 15, 2026 13:27
But it still melts, right?
40AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:10
These guys are trying to build the iceberg aircraft carrier Habakkuk again. (Project Habakkuk — the WWII British plan for an ice-based aircraft carrier)
41AnonymousOct 15, 2026 14:24
Feels like this could be applied to all sorts of interesting things.
Background and key points of discussion
The name ‘BioPykrete’ evokes ‘Pykrete,’ a composite of ice and wood pulp devised during World War II, and indeed commenters cited ‘Habakkuk’ (the name of the British Royal Navy’s planned iceberg aircraft carrier project). This research modernizes that idea, reinforcing ice with natural materials like cellulose nanofibers instead of paper pulp, with an eye toward use as a building material in the Arctic and Antarctic. Where the thread split was over how to interpret the figure ’10 times the compressive strength’ — some took it simply as meaning the ice had gotten harder, while others questioned what the number really meant, pointing out that being resistant to compression doesn’t necessarily say anything about brittleness or impact resistance. One point readers could easily misunderstand is that this isn’t some special ice that stays frozen at room temperature — it’s a composite material that still keeps the ordinary property of ice: it melts as the temperature rises.
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