Japanese scientists aim to tackle the huge problem of microplastics in the ocean with a new material that biodegrades in seawater.
The goal is to reduce the impact of microplastics – fragments less than 5mm across – that are now present in the air we breathe and every corner of the planet including remote regions of the deep ocean and the Arctic.
Takuzo Aida, a materials scientist who heads the Emergent Soft Matter Function Research Group at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Wako, Japan says they have developed a new material that dissolves in seawater without leaving contaminants.
The Wako scientists say this could be a new path to reducing plastics pollution, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning plastics.
Microplastic contaminants are known to cause a range of problems in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, including slowing the growth of animals, which impacts fertility and causes organ dysfunction.
The new plastic being developed is a culmination of three decades of pioneering in supramolecular polymers which have weaker, reversible bonds than conventional plastics “like sticky notes that you can attach and peel off,” explains Aida.
These supramolecular polymers have the ability to 'self-heal' when broken and then pressed back together.
Takuzo Aida’s team set out to discover a combination of compounds that would create a supramolecular material with good mechanical strength, but that can break down quickly under the right conditions into non-toxic compounds and elements. Aida had a specific reaction in mind, one that would lock the material’s molecular bonds and could only be reversed with a specific ‘key’—salt.
After screening various molecules, the team found that a combination of sodium hexametaphosphate (a common food additive) and guanidinium ion-based monomers (used for fertilizers and soil conditioners) formed ‘salt bridges’ that bind the compounds together with strong cross-linked bonds. These types of bonds serve as the ‘lock’, providing the material with strength and flexibility, explains Aida.
Read more
https://www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs/research_news/rr/20250327_1/index.html
Photo by Nick Russill on Unsplash
