#cross linking

Mussel-inspired glue from recycled plastics can be detached and reused

Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have invented a reusable adhesive from waste polymers that is tougher than commercial glues, works underwater as well as in dry environments, and bonds a variety of materials, including wood, glass, metal, paper and polymers. Inspired by the way mussels stick stubbornly to surfaces, the innovative adhesive contains reversible chemical crosslinkers that allow the hardened glue to soften, detach and be reused, unlike current glues, which set permanently after one use. Today's projects typically require different glues for different material surfaces—white glue for grade-school art projects, polyvinyl acetates for bookbinding, polyurethanes for shoemaking, silicones for sealing windows and affixing electronic parts, and industrial epoxies for joining aircraft and automobile components.

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Laser-assisted 3D printing can fabricate free-standing thermoset-based electronics in seconds

Thermosets, such as epoxy and silicon rubbers, are a class of polymer (i.e., plastic) materials that harden permanently when they undergo a specific chemical reaction, known as "crosslinking." These materials are highly durable, heat-resistant with excellent electrical insulation in various applications such as in adhesives, coatings, and automotive parts. Thermosets are also widely used to fabricate electronic components, including switches, circuit breakers and other core circuit components. So far, thermoset-based free-standing devices have proved difficult to construct by using conventional 3D printing processes. One key reason for this is that the materials need to be provisionally supported by other supporting objects until they become solid, which adds more steps to the printing process.

Durable supramolecular plastic is fully ocean-degradable and doesn't generate microplastics

Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) have developed a new durable plastic that won't pollute our oceans. The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, but what makes it special is that it breaks down in seawater. The new plastic is therefore expected to help reduce harmful microplastic pollution that accumulates in oceans and soil and eventually enters the food chain. The experimental findings are published Nov 22 in Science. Scientists have been trying to develop safe and sustainable materials that can replace traditional plastics, which are non-sustainable and harm the environment. While some recyclable and biodegradable plastics exist, one big problem remains. Current biodegradable plastics like PLA often find their way into the ocean where they cannot be degraded because they are water insoluble. As a result, microplastics—plastic bits smaller than 5 mm—are harming aquatic life and finding their way into the food chain, including our own bodies.

Cooking Flawless Pasta

Scientists have pinpointed energy-efficient ways to cook al dente pasta and developed an infallible recipe for the perfect cacio e pepe sauce. [...] A bowl of steaming hot pasta covered in your favorite sauce and dusted with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese comes high on the list of ultimate comfort foods. But cooking that pasta to perfection can be more difficult than seemingly simple recipes imply. Now two separate teams of researchers have explored two different aspects of executing a flawless dish. In one study, Phillip Toultchinski and Thomas Vilgis of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Germany, studied whether perfectly al dente spaghetti could be prepared in a more energy-efficient way [1]. In a second study, Matteo Ciarchi and Daniel Busiello of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Germany, Giacomo Bartolucci of the University of Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues developed a recipe for making perfect cacio e pepe, a three-ingredient cheese sauce that is surprisingly easy to mess up [2]. “It is very difficult to make this sauce,” says Busiello. “You are almost always doomed to fail.”

Durable plastic gets a sustainability makeover in novel polymerization process

Car tires, replacement hip joints, bowling balls—these and other items are made from a class of plastics called thermosets, known for extreme durability. Their "crosslinked polymer" chemical structure guarantees longevity but also makes these petrochemical-based materials—which comprise 15%–20% of all polymers produced—impossible to recycle. "Currently, zero percent of the world's thermoset materials are recycled—they're either incinerated or thrown in landfills," said Brett Fors, professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Fors lab has addressed that environmental challenge by creating an alternative made from a bio-sourced material that has crosslinked thermosets' durability and malleability but can be easily recycled and degraded.

Transforming marine waste and carbonated water into hydrogels via CO₂ release behavior

Hydrogels, which are soft materials made of water-filled, crosslinked polymer networks, have a wide range of uses, from wound dressings to enhancing soil moisture for plant growth. They are formed through a process called gelation, where polymers in a solution are linked together to form a gel. Biopolymers, such as polysaccharides and proteins, often require the addition of acidic agents for this gelation process. However, these agents can remain in the hydrogel, posing risks for biological applications. To address this issue, a new gelation method uses carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of acidic agents. CO2 acts as an acidic agent during gelation but escapes into the atmosphere once the hydrogel forms. A study led by Professor Hidenori Otsuka and Ryota Teshima from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, investigated the effect of CO2 release on the properties of hydrogels. Their findings are published in the journal Materials Advances and provide valuable insights for synthesizing hydrogels suitable for medical uses.