Posted on 02/08/2022 12:52:22 PM PST by Red Badger
Why is plastic bad for the environment? It is one of those seemingly necessary evils: It’s as lightweight as it is durable, and it’s in pretty much everything. Plus, unlike other popular materials (think steel and glass), it doesn’t cost very much money or energy to produce. That said, there’s a reason why coffee shops are puncturing their lids with paper straws, and grocery stores are piling up produce within the confines of paper bags: Plastic is bad for everyone who touches it. Because it’s a synthetic material made by humans, plastic’s ingredient list comprises quite a few chemicals—some of which can be toxic—that make it nearly impossible to break down. Luckily, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are working on a new plastic that boasts all of the benefits and none of the disadvantages of the age-old version, which is quickly approaching its demise. It’s called 2DPA-1, and it’s two times stronger than steel and capable of conducting electricity and blocking gas. Regular plastic can’t do any of that.
Michael Strano, a chemical engineering professor at MIT and the lead author on the research paper recently published in Nature, used a bowl of spaghetti to explain how 2DPA-1 works in layman’s terms. The more noodles you pile into the bowl, the harder it will be to see its bottom. The sauce, however, can always find the bottom because the noodles—no matter how many there are—create little pockets of space between them, giving the sauce a route to the bottom of the bowl. In plastic’s case, the noodles are polymers that feature the same spaghetti-like pockets between them, but instead of sauce, it’s gas passing through them. Strano said that’s why you can still smell your leftovers no matter how tightly you seal your plastic baggie.
Like regular plastic, 2DPA-1 also has polymers, but they’re nothing like noodles. Instead, they’re one-dimensional discs that lay flat and link together by way of an unbreakable hydrogen bond. In other words, 2DPA-1 is really strong in a way that regular plastic isn’t. And it has a lot of practical uses depending on how it’s manufactured. For instance, the already strong sheets can be layered on top of one another, creating a legitimately unbreakable plastic. They can also be rolled into tubes and mixed with other plastics to make a two-in-one barrier that functions like armor, which got scientists thinking: What if we use this as a coating for anything donning a layer or two of paint, like a car? No matter what type of paint is used, cars’ surfaces eventually fall victim to the elements and begin to rust or rot. But with a layer of 2DPA-1 on top, they can last a lot longer because no gasses can break its super-strong seal. Applying 2DPA-1 as a protective jacket is only one of many highly practical uses for the newly developed plastic, already being licensed by private companies.
Plastic has played a big role in design for decades. Midcentury-modern icons Charles and Ray Eames were met with massive success when they unveiled the Molded Fiberglass chairs in 1950, but the negative environmental costs associated with fiberglass forced the duo to discontinue their beloved design. Luckily, in 2001, Herman Miller reintroduced the Molded Plastic chair in polypropylene, which is recyclable.
An even more impactful use would be construction. After all, plastic is bad for the environment, and erecting skyscrapers with unsustainable materials doesn’t help. It would be a waste not to enlist the lightweight, easy-to-make substance that’s twice as strong as steel for more permanent uses like buildings in major cities. If anything, the buildings would last seemingly forever while reducing the carbon footprint, which everyone in cities experiencing climate change–related disasters would gladly appreciate.
Though 2DPA-1 is very much still in its infancy, it poses a big impact on the environment because better plastic means less plastic, which is always a good thing for living beings on land, in the sky, and below sea level.
Was that necessary?
“Was that necessary?”
More necessary than your post.
Isn’t amazing how everything is offensive and dangerous to them all except a political ideology more destructive to humanity than any in history: Communism. Oh it’s just 100 millions deaths but let’s ignore that and elect communists into office, Bernie Sanders is Presidential material, let’s support politicians who suck up to China which is currently committing genocide, but ho hum, that’s not offensive, Aunt Jemima syrup is, Joe Rogan and his freakin’ podcast is.
“Hello computer! Computer on!””
It's a complex subject, but having read the article, I think I would stick with steel or titanium for my next purchase which would be a mountain bike for trail riding.
The problem is that it is pretty inert and does nothing to the environment whatsoever except pile up in unsightly dumps. It's not the fault of chemistry that humans are slobs.
One dimensional discs?
What idiot wrote this?
Luckily they are phasing out petroleum.
“How quaint”.
I have an aluminum frame Montegue, the military folding design they use for parachute troops. Suposedly the strongest frame made. It is electric by HPC (High Powered Cycle).
It’s quite heavy for a mountain bike. But then it makes my aluminum frame Schwinn mountain bike seem very light.
Yes it should be made UV degradable for some items.
The Dems will cancel this. Anything “plastic” triggers conniption fits in them.
It seems that after your Waco episode all you do is post information to correct people. Non-stop.
Just thought I would point that out if you hadn’t noticed.
“Computer.”
“Computer?”
5.56mm
I still miss bakelite.
Will this new plastic leapfrog graphene?
“It seems that after your Waco episode all you do is post information to correct people.”
Are you referring to my correcting posters that claimed drug-dealing, human-trafficking motorcycle gangs were actually peaceful, patriotic organizations?
Good post.
I see it also as a “Hand Layup” approach. Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass etc.
I didn’t see anything related to the Injection Molded process such as you get with Polypropylene, ABS etc. which is still an expensive route to go unless your producing the same part over years. Then it can pay for itself.
The latter is surely developing, while the US military will advertise its latest tech using it and thus inspire greater development by the Communist and Russia.
It's rare to read such a headline. 'scientists HAVE developed' the plastic "WILL" change the world. Most articles speculate about a breakthrough product.
'Will change the world' is still speculation but the fact (at least according to this article) the product does exist. Let's see if it does 'change the world'.
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