Dear Editor,
Scientists in Japan developed a new version of plastic that is not only stronger and more flexible than traditional versions, but is also partially biodegradable. Apart from this, its structure is so complex that even after heating it does not get spoiled for a long time. Due to the destructive impact of plastic on the environment, scientists around the world have been working for a long time with the goal of making eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastics. In this episode, scientists from Tokyo University has successfully created this plastic, which is based on epoxy resin ‘Vitrimer’. Vitrimers are a relatively recent class of plastics that are known for their impressive strength at low temperatures, while also having the ability to be reshaped multiple times when exposed to higher temperatures. Scientists incorporated a molecule called polyrotaxane into the ‘plastic synthesis process’ to make the plastic more effective, resulting in a new plastic variant, which they have named VPR., VPR is the abbreviation for ‘Vitrimer incorporated with polyrotaxane’. At low temperatures the strong internal chemical joints of this plastic retain their rigid shape, but as the temperature increases (up to about 150 °C) these joints begin to regroup, allowing the plastic to take different forms. Takes it. Apart from this, when plastic is heated and chemicals are applied on it, it easily breaks down into its components. During the test, when this plastic was immersed in sea water for 30 days, 25% of it Percent biodegradation occurred, with the polyrotaxane breaking down into a potential food source for marine life. This plastic is five times more resistant than a typical epoxy resin vitrimer. It can also repair itself 15 times faster, regain its original shape twice as fast and can be chemically recycled 10 times faster than normal vitrimer. It also biodegrades safely in marine environments, which is new for this material. plastic It harms the environment in many ways. Along with air, water and land pollution also occurs on a large scale due to plastic. Plastic does not get destroyed for many years, due to which groundwater is not recharged, due to which the environment has to suffer damage. In such a situation, these steps of scientists can make the use of plastic effective across the world.
Vijay Garg
