Just For Fun – Interactive Post for the class - Flubber post by Elizabeth Sweeny

Flubber, gluep, glurch, or slime are common names referring to a rubbery polymer formed by cross linking of polyvinyl alcohol with a boron compound. Making flubber from polyvinyl-alcohol-based glues, such as Elmer's Glue, and borax can be done as an elementary science education experiment. The formation of a gel may be due to hydrogen bonding between boric acid hydroxyl groups and the diol groups in polyvinyl alcohol. Hydrogen bonding, as opposed to covalent bonding, would account for the physical properties of the gel.  Flubber is a non-Newtonian fluid that flows under low stresses, but breaks under higher stresses and pressures. This combination of fluid-like and solid-like properties makes it a Maxwell solid. Its behavior can also be described as being viscoplastic or gelatinous.  Flubber was a movie made about a fluke science experiment that created a very bouncy “slimy ball” that had a mind of its own. Flubber helps a struggling basketball team win the championship game because they can run fast and jump high.  I think it would be so neat if there really was a material that could do the things flubber could do!  What types of things would you want to do with a flubber material??