By Pesach Benson • September 16, 2026
Jerusalem, 16 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli scientists have developed a new type of reinforced ice that is about 10 times stronger than ordinary ice under compression and can absorb roughly 70 times more energy before failing — a breakthrough that could eventually lead to new building materials for extremely cold environments.
The material, called BioPykrete, combines ice with cellulose nanocrystals, tiny rigid particles made from cellulose, the natural material that gives plants their structure. A specially engineered protein acts as a molecular bridge, strengthening the connection between the ice and cellulose and helping prevent cracks from spreading.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem campus on Aug. 3, 2023. Photo by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL
The advance could eventually address a practical challenge in some of the world’s most remote and freezing regions: transporting conventional building materials. Concrete, steel and other materials can be heavy, expensive and difficult to move to Arctic and Antarctic locations.
Ice, by contrast, is abundant and locally available but is normally too brittle for structural use. BioPykrete could potentially make temporary or specialized structures possible in places where transporting conventional materials is especially difficult.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, was led by Prof. Ido Braslavsky of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Other members of the research team were from Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, the Technion and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Making Ice Tougher
As BioPykrete freezes, the cellulose nanocrystals form a three-dimensional network within the ice. The engineered protein connects the two materials at the molecular level, with one part attaching to ice and another to cellulose.
“We wanted to go beyond simply mixing fibers into ice and instead control how the different materials connect at the molecular level,” Braslavsky said.
That connection appears to be crucial to the material’s performance. Laboratory tests showed that BioPykrete reached compressive strength in the range of conventional concrete, making it about 10 times stronger under compression than pure ice.
Its toughness was even more striking: BioPykrete absorbed about 70 times more energy before failing than ordinary ice.
The researchers also compared ice-cellulose composites made with and without the engineered protein. Adding the protein roughly doubled both the material’s strength and the amount of energy it could absorb before failure.
The difference lies in what happens when a crack forms. In ordinary ice, a crack can spread rapidly through the material, causing it to shatter suddenly. In BioPykrete, the cellulose network creates obstacles that disrupt the crack’s path, while the protein strengthens the connection between the ice and cellulose, making it harder for the crack to tear through the reinforcing network.
The study describes the protein as a “molecular ‘bioadhesive’” and reports that the reinforced structure can “arrest crack propagation at the pore level.”
“We’re changing not only how strong the ice is, but also how it breaks,” Braslavsky said. “Instead of suddenly shattering, it can absorb much more energy and deform gradually.”
The researchers envision possible applications in Arctic and Antarctic environments, where transporting conventional construction materials can be difficult and costly.
BioPykrete remains a laboratory proof of concept, however, rather than a ready-made replacement for concrete. Further research is needed to determine how it performs over long periods, including under repeated freezing and thawing and sustained pressure.
