The hottest plastic revolution to correct its name

The great significance of a "plastic revolution"

"Titan" that justifies its name is that it is not only high-strength, but also valuable that it can be degraded and recycled. Now it has been determined that it is the first recyclable thermosetting material with industrial strength created by human beings

in May 2014, IBM company of the United States unexpectedly invented a new generation of thermosetting polymers. Different from the polymers widely used now, the new generation of thermosetting polymers are not only lighter and stronger, but also more importantly, they can be fully recycled and have self-healing functions, which can greatly reduce waste and pollution. It is reported that Jeannette Garcia, a researcher at IBM Almaden Research Institute, inadvertently forgot to add a certain reagent during the experiment, but unexpectedly found that the solution in the flask suddenly hardened and formed a large block. The material was firmly stuck to the glass, and she was going to get it down with a hammer. But when she hit this thing with a hammer, it didn't move and there was no crack. "When I realized how strong it was, I knew I had to figure out what I had done." Garcia said

her colleagues immediately studied this material carefully with great interest. I don't know if I don't see it. I'm scared when I see it. It turned out that Janet Garcia inadvertently created a new group of thermosetting polymers. Their research results were published in the authoritative journal Science in the form of introductory articles, but for the reasons of confidentiality of huge commercial interests, it is generally difficult for ordinary people outside to know the specific formula and process. They named this new material "Titan" - a family of giants in ancient Greek mythology with the same name as the famous sunken ship

first of all, we need to figure out what is "thermosetting" polymer. We know that plastics are so-called high molecular polymers, which means that some macromolecules with chains, rings and forks are polymerized together (this polymerization method has a proper term called "cross-linking"). Due to different composition and structure, plastics can be divided into thermoplastic and thermosetting. Thermoplastic plastics will soften when heated, because their molecular chains are linear or branched, and there is no chemical bond between molecular chains. When heated, they will soften and flow, and the process of cooling and hardening is only a physical change, not a chemical change. Thermosetting plastics are different from this. The sample will only bear the tension in the upper and lower directions. It can soften the flow when heated for the first time, but when heated to a certain temperature, it will produce a certain chemical reaction - horizontal chemical bonds are formed between molecular chains, and the whole material becomes a three-dimensional structure, thus curing and hardening. This change is irreversible. Even if it is heated again, it can no longer soften the flow. It is with this feature that thermosetting plastics can be shaped and processed. Using the plasticizing flow during the first heating, they can be shaped in the mold, and then solidified into products with definite shape and size. Most of the plastics used in harsh environments, such as heat insulation, wear resistance, insulation and high-voltage electricity resistance, are thermosetting plastics. The handles of pots and high-voltage and low-voltage electrical appliances should be the most familiar to ordinary people in daily life

the biggest advantage of many things is often their biggest disadvantage. The same is true of thermosetting plastics. According to statistics, its output accounts for one third of the world's polymer output every year, which is an astronomical figure. Over time, it accumulates, and serious problems emerge - this thing can't be melted again, but it can't be degraded at all. How to deal with it? If it is allowed to develop, sooner or later, the earth will be filled with waste thermosetting plastics

therefore, the great significance of "Titan" is reflected - not only the strength is high, but also the order quantity of single screw extruder is correspondingly reduced by 2% But the valuable thing is that it can be degraded and recycled. Now it has been determined that it is the first recyclable thermosetting material with industrial strength created by human beings

imagine that this kind of strength plastic can replace a large number of steel parts in cars, and it is much lighter than steel, and it can even replace many materials in airplanes. Relevant parties have conducted calculation and research, and believe that the world's demand for durable recyclable materials will soon soar. Some people boldly speculate that Europe and Japan will apply this material to 95% of auto parts by 2016 (it is estimated that the remaining 5%, that is, the cylinder and piston of auto engine, which work under ultra-high temperature conditions). This is undoubtedly a revolution for the automotive industry

there are more surprises. Garcia and her colleagues have found a second form of this material group, which can heal itself at low temperatures. 5 Ex factory inspection declaration: 1, jelly like substance, they call it "hydro". "If you cut it in half and put it back, the two pieces will be tightly combined again." Garcia said it can be used to make adhesives or self-healing coatings

I believe this is a great benefit to the car owners, and even a blessing to the traffic police and the staff of the insurance company - we often see such scenes on the road: two cars, there was a scratch accident. Although the prices of the two cars were added together, B - the width of the compression surface of the specimen could be less than 100000 yuan, but the two drivers were red faced, Regardless of the car jam behind, the long dragon couldn't see the end until the police and an insurance company claims adjuster who was involved in a lawsuit arrived hard - in fact, it was just for a few scratches. In the future, if you use healing materials such as "hydro" as the coating of the car surface, you don't have to fight and send people to the repair shop for a small accident of scratching. After a while, it will grow up by itself! Isn't everyone happy

of course, this is just a small application. In fact, there are other uses that are much more meaningful than this. Janet Garcia believes that in addition to meeting the above needs, new thermosetting materials can also be applied in broader fields such as anti-corrosion and antibacterial coatings, drug release, adhesives, 3D printing, water purification treatment, etc

it has super strength, can be degraded and recycled, and can also repair itself. Excuse me, is there any material in the world that has more advantages than this? Hard to find. Therefore, its vitality is incomparably strong

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