Scientists develop plastic that dissolves in seawater
Scientists develop plastic that dissolves in seawater
www.bbc.co.uk
Scientists develop plastic that dissolves in seawater
8 comments
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They fail to mention what the plastics dissolve into.
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So if you dissolve salt into water you get saltwater. If you dissolve plastic into water do you get plasticwater?
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The new plastic was co-developed by the University of Tokyo in Japan and the country's RIKEN Centre for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS).
Researchers say it is made by combining two small molecules which form a strong bond that allows the new material to stay tough and flexible.
While scientists have long experimented with biodegradable plastics, the team say their invention breaks down much more quickly and leaves no trace.
When placed in a mixture which had the same amount of salt as seawater, they found the new plastic dissolved "quickly in about two to three hours, depending on its thickness and size."
And it's not just in water where the new plastic can dissolve.
Takuzo Aida, lead researcher at CEMS, explained: "Similarly, when tested in soil..a piece of plastic about 5 centimetres in size, it completely disappears after a little over 200 hours."
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