As global plastic pollution continues to soar, some scientists are modifying the plastic manufacturing process to produce forms of the omnipresent material that can safely and quickly break down in the environment. Others are integrating fast-eating super-enzymes into the plastic at the production stage to increase degradation speed. We have also seen researchers making plastic alternatives from plant proteins that imitate spider silk on a molecular level.
Now, researchers in China have developed a novel type of plastic that degrades in only a week when exposed to sunlight and oxygen. The team, led by Liang Luo from China’s Huazhong University of Science & Technology, believes the new material could see the making of electronics that are easier to break down at the end of their lives.
The material was formed while Luo was working on an advanced type of chemical sensor, which led him to develop a novel polymer film that changed color in response to pH levels. The process takes advantage of the material’s unique molecular structure, with the chains of monomers providing the film its deep red color and then taking it away when these bonds were broken. However, through experiments, Luo and his team found that the deep red color of the film quickly faded, and the material broke apart after several days in the sunlight.
Given the plastic’s molecular makeup, it wouldn’t be suited for use in shopping bags or soda bottles, as it’s only stable as a functional material in the dark and without air. Once exposed to sunlight and oxygen, the material disintegrates quickly and entirely decomposes within one week, leaving no environmentally harmful microplastic remains behind. In addition, naturally occurring succinic acid is a by-product of the process, which could be upcycled for commercial use in food or pharmaceuticals.
The novel plastic could be used in flexible electronics or smartphones, where it would be isolated from sunlight and air during its service life. Luo is confident the material could last several years when used in this way and envisions making these devices easier to dispose of after use. The material scientists plan to continue exploring possibilities in this area of degradable plastics but point out that commercialization is still far from near.
Luo and his team published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
