0 Persons are tagged with #plastic

#plastic

dezeen@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq
dezeen (unofficial)

MIT engineers invent plastic that is stronger than steel and could be used as structural material

image

MIT plastic that is stronger than steel

Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers have invented a new type of plastic that is twice as strong as steel and could one day be used as a building material.

Dubbed 2DPA-1, the material is light and mouldable like plastic but has a strength and resistance that the researchers behind the project liken to steel and bulletproof glass.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers envision 2DPA-1 being used in the near future as a coating to enhance the durability of objects, and eventually as a structural material.

"We don't usually think of plastics as being something that you could use to support a building, but with this material, you can enable new things," said MIT chemical engineering professor Michael Strano. "It has very unusual properties."

Two-dimensional molecular structure gives polymer super-strength

2DPA-1 is a polymer, a category of substance that encompasses all kinds of plastics. But whereas all other polymers grow in one-dimensional chains, with new molecules being added onto their ends, 2DPA-1 grows in two dimensions, forming a sheet called a polyaramide.

"Instead of making a spaghetti-like molecule, we can make a sheet-like molecular plane, where we get molecules to hook themselves together in two dimensions," Strano said.

It's this two-dimensional quality that gives 2DPA-1 its strength, by eliminating the gaps that exist between polymer chains in other plastics.

[ Recycled PET lego bricks

Read:

The Dezeen guide to plastic in architecture, design and interiors

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/09/22/dezeen-guide-plastic-architecture-design-interiors/)

Its yield strength, or the force it takes to break it, is twice that of steel, although it has only about one-sixth of the material density, making it light.

The researchers also compared it to bulletproof glass, saying it has four to six times the elastic modulus, which refers to the amount of force it takes to deform it.

The engineers synthesised 2DPA-1 using a new polymerisation process that happens spontaneously in the right chemical solution. They have published their findings in a paper in the journal Nature.

Impermeability adds to usefulness of material

The most immediate commercial application for 2DPA-1, according to the researchers, is as an ultrathin barrier coating that could be applied to cars, phones or other objects to make them stronger and more durable.

Because of the material's closed molecular structure compared to other plastics, it is impermeable to water and gases, so it offers an extremely high degree of protection from oxidation, rust or rot.

"This kind of barrier coating could be used to protect metal in cars and other vehicles, or steel structures," said Strano.

MIT plastic that is stronger than steelAs a polymer film, 2DPA-1 could give a protective coating to cars, phones or surfaces. Image courtesy of MIT

However, the future applications for 2DPA-1 extend further, as the molecular sheets can theoretically be stacked to make a building material, or used as nanotubes or nanofibres in a composite material like carbon fibre.

As well as being strong, it has the same appealing properties as other plastics, in that it is light and takes little energy to produce, compared to materials such as steel and glass.

The researchers told Dezeen that they could see it being used as a structural reinforcement material in building and as a separation membrane.

Material can be easily manufactured in large quantities

Another promising quality of 2DPA-1 is that it can be easily made in large quantities.

This means that unlike with some recent wonder materials, such as graphene, it should be easy to scale up manufacturing outside of the laboratory.

The MIT researchers made their 2DPA-1 in beakers, but to make the plastic in large quantities, they say you would simply need to increase the amount of starting materials.

Similar to other plastics, 2DPA-1 is manufactured at room temperature, so it doesn't require vast amounts of heat.

[ Dezeen Day

Read:

Plastic recycling is "bullshit" says Richard Hutten at Dezeen Day

](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/04/plastic-recycling-richard-hutten-dezeen-day/)

The engineers also theorise that it should be recyclable. If it is used as fibres, it should be able to be re-spun or pulped as with Kevlar fibres, and in other forms it may be able to be chemically recycled as with nylon.

Currently, 79 per cent of plastic is dumped in landfills or in the environment once discarded, where it will remain for thousands of years.

There are numerous different types of plastic currently in existence, as explained in our Dezeen guide to plastic in 2021, as well as a growing number of plastic alternatives.

The post MIT engineers invent plastic that is stronger than steel and could be used as structural material appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #design #materials #technology #news #plastic #mit

MIT engineers invent new plastic that is stronger than steel

Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers have invented a new type of plastic that is twice as strong as steel and could one day be used as a building material.

dezeen@xn--y9azesw6bu.xn--y9a3aq
dezeen (unofficial)

Ohhcean sex toys are made from recycled ocean plastic

image

Three blue sex toys by Ohhcean

Danish brand Sinful has created a range of three sex toys using ocean plastic collected in Southeast Asia.

The Ohhcean collection comprises a wand and two vibrators — all made entirely from ocean-bound plastic. A thin layer of silicone covers the products to make them waterproof and pleasurable.

"The question was how to take something that already exists and put it to new use?" Mathilde Mackowski, co-owner of Sinful told Dezeen.

"The answer for us, at this moment, was ocean-bound plastic – we want to focus on different ways to approach production and think in new ways concerning material," she said.

Three blue sex toys by OhhceanOhhcean is a range of vibrators and wands made from ocean plastic

The brand worked with Tide, a Swiss manufacturing company that turns waste plastic into products, to create the Ohhcean range.

In collaboration with local fishermen, Tide sources thermoplastic polyethene terephthalate (PET) plastic from shorelines around oceans, streams and lakes in Thailand.

For Ohhcean, the company collected plastic bottle lids that were then washed and shredded into small pieces before being processed using renewable energy.

A hand holding three blue sex toysThe sex toys come in aqua colours

The resulting sex toys – a magic wand, vibrator and body massager – are available in a variety of hues, from sea green to royal blue.

As well as being made from natural materials, the sex toys have an organic look, with curved shapes and a smooth feel. They are all fully rechargeable and the vibrators come with seven different vibration patterns.

"The ocean has been our inspiration from day one so naturally, we've been influenced by soft shapes," explained Mackowski. "The organic meeting of the waves when they clash and the curves of a drop."

[ Squish minimal sex toy by Unbound

Read:

Sextech startups abandon the "intimidating" penis-shaped vibrator

](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/03/12/minimal-sex-toys-genderless-sextech-startups/)

Mackowski embarked on creating the range after noticing that there was nothing available on the market that was made fully from recycled plastic.

"The ocean plastics emergency has never been so widely reported, and rethinking plastic production within the sex toy industry had to arrive sooner or later," she said.

"We just weren't ready to wait for anyone else to get moving," she added.

Blue sex toys by SinfulThe plastic is collected from oceans in Southeast Asia

Eventually, Mackowski hopes that the same material will be used to expand the range, but she believes that it will take time for recycled plastics to be as easily accessible as those typically used for sex toys.

"Reducing the impact of my products on the planet became an obsession, but it also proved to be a long and complex journey met with many challenges, but consideration for the environment was first and foremost," she said.

"The products from Ohhcean by Sinful had to be nothing short of a luxurious sex toy but this is just the beginning," she added.

Plastic has long been used to produce sex toys, but the material's environmental impact has led some consumers to opt for less damaging options across products of all kinds.

In response, designers including Shahar Livne have turned to ocean plastic to create fossil-like jewellery for Balenciaga, and brands such as Adidas have used the recycled material for a range of apparel.

The post Ohhcean sex toys are made from recycled ocean plastic appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #design #products #productdesign #plastic #sextoydesign #oceanplastic #recycledplastic #recycling

Ohhcean sex toys are made from recycled ocean plastic

Danish brand Sinful has created a range of three sex toys using ocean plastic waste collected in Southeast Asia.

david_lazarus@pluspora.com
DavïÐ Låzårµ§

We need a strong global treaty on plastics
#Politics #Plastic #SingleUsePlastic #Treaty #Pollution #Avaaz #Petition

"We’ve seen it choking life in the deepest oceans and on the highest mountains. Now, shocking studies are finding plastic pollution everywhere: in the rain, our food, our drinking water, even in the human placenta! It’s poisoning us, and life on Earth.

But finally we have a unique opportunity to change this.

Right now, the United Nations is considering a new ambitious global treaty to end plastic pollution. If countries agree to it, we have a real chance of cleaning up our planet! But big polluters are already trying to water down the proposal.

It’s up to all of us to show them that the whole world supports the strongest possible treaty to end the plastic crisis!

Plastic is toxic from the moment production begins. It’s made from the same dirty fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis. And it doesn’t decompose! A plastic bottle breaks down into tiny, invisible pieces that can travel around the world through water and air, contaminating our seas, our rivers, and even our bodies!

Even rain is polluted with plastic. Scientists in the US found that rain is flooding protected national parks with 1,000 tons of microplastics every year -- that's the equivalent of pouring over 120 million plastic bottles!

This is a planetary emergency, and we need an urgent, coordinated international response. That’s why more than 100 countries are calling for a binding global treaty, which could bring an end to the throwaway-plastic culture, and transition the world towards a future that protects people, wildlife, and our climate.

But big oil and chemical firms, as well as a small group of countries, led by Japan, are already trying to weaken the plan. So we need to mobilise fast, and show our governments at the key UN meeting this month that people everywhere demand the most robust treaty to end the plastic plague.

We’ve done it before. Our movement spearheaded the mobilisations that led to the landmark Climate Paris Agreement, and more recently we mobilised from around the world to stop rich countries from dumping their plastic waste onto low-income nations. We know that such battles can be long, and treaties don’t always deliver the results we need, fast enough. But this is the best chance we have ever had to kick-start a coordinated, international response – so we all have to speak out now, and keep pushing until we win a world safe from plastic.

With hope and determination,

Spyro, Laura, Luis, Anneke, Huiting, Muriel, Stefanie and the whole team at Avaaz"

Demand a Global Treaty on Plastics

Sign for a Global Treaty on Plastics

It’s everywhere: even in the human placenta. But this week, governments might agree on a global treaty to end plastic pollution! Sign the urgent petition before governments meet.

birne@diaspora.psyco.fr
Birne Helene

That’s a wrap: French plastic packaging ban for fruit and veg begins

From New Year’s Day, France will ban supermarkets and other shops from selling cucumbers wrapped in plastic, and peppers, courgettes, aubergines and leeks in plastic packaging. A total of 30 types of fruit and vegetables will be banned from having any plastic wrapping, including bananas, pears, lemons, oranges and kiwis.

Packs over 1.5kg will be exempt, as will chopped or processed fruit. Some varieties, including cherry tomatoes or soft fruits such as raspberries and blueberries, will be given longer for producers to find alternatives to plastic, but plastic packaging will be gradually phased out for all whole fruits and vegetables by 2026.

#Guardian #France #Plastic #Environment

7 Likes
1 Comments