Scientists create plastic able to regenerate
We all know what the dangers of plastic and its inability to quickly disappear from Earth â€" about 450 years, it is estimated, but a group of researchers from the United States is working on a method to regenerate this material.Inspired by the circulatory system of animals, this new type of plastic can fill large cracks and holes, growing to correct these flaws. The study, which was published in the journal Science, advances that the existence of this kind of materials capable of self-repair is a breakthrough not only for commercial goods â€" this plastic would be ideal for a bumper of a car, for example â€" or for difficult repair or replacement products."We have developed a system of redress in a synthetic material, i.e. not alive, in a manner similar to what we see in some species," said Jeffry Moore, one of the researchers.The new plastic gets his inspiration to the circulatory system of animals. "The vascular system allows the transport of a large number of agents Trustees. But it also allows multiple repairs, if the surface suffer damage several times ", confessed to the sustainable planet Nancy Sottos, a Professor of materials engineering at the University of Illinois, who investigated the new material.The materials that allow this regeneration circulate for two â€" thinnest blood vessels capillaries â€" Parallels. When the damage occurs, the liquids of every capillary spread and blend, forming a gel that fills the cracks or holes in the material, hardening shortly after this process.The team tested the regeneration in the two types of commonly used plastics: thermoplastics commercially â€" that can be molded at high temperatures â€" and thermoset-whose rigidity does not change with temperature.The researchers were able to control the speed of the formation of the gel and its hardening, depending on the type of damage that the surface features. A hole caused by a bullet, for example, causes several cracks around. In this case, the reaction can be slowed down, so that the gel has time to penetrate into all the cracks before harden.Foto: rosmary/Creative Commons
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