Page 52 - Plastics News April 2017

TECHNOLOGY

• When combined with carbon nanotubes, the polymer
has even more applications. It can create a black Edible water bottle to cause
material that can absorb all light — even ultraviolet a splash at EU sustainability
and infrared light — without being damaged. The awards
combined nanomaterial can withstand extreme heat
of 15,000 watts per square centimeter, which is about n edible alternative to plastic water bottles made
10 times more heat than a rocket nozzle. Afrom seaweed has topped the UK round of an
EU competition for new, more sustainable products.
• The polymer could be used to produce ceramic with
tunable electrical conductivity ranging from insulator The new spherical form of packaging , called Ooho
and described by its makers as “water you can eat”,
or semiconductor.
is biodegradeable, hygenic and costs 1p per unit to
• The presence of silicon and graphenelike carbon in make. It is made chiefly from calcium chloride and a
the ceramic can improve electrodes for lithium-ion seaweed derivative called sodium alginate. [Ooho] is
batteries. a good replacement packaging that would be really
widely applicable across lots of different products. The
• The ceramic derived from this polymer has a random
potential for packaging reduction is really high for one
structure that is generally not observed in traditional
ceramics. The silicon in the ceramic bonds to nitrogen of the petroleum products used across the world.” “The
consumption of non-renewable resources for single-use
and carbon but not boron; boron bonds to nitrogen bottles and the amount of waste generated is profoundly
but not carbon; and carbon bonds to another carbon
unsustainable.
to form graphene like strings. This unique structure
provides stability at high temperature by delaying
reaction with oxygen.
"Often, researchers have only looked at high-temperature
properties," Singh said. "We are among the few that
looked at other properties — such as electronic, electro-
chemical, thermal and optical properties — and exposed
these properties in this material."
Singh's research has been supported by the National
Institute of Standards and Technology radiometry team
and the National Science Foundation. He is continuing to
research the polymer's possibilities for making ceramic The aim of Ooho is to provide the convenience of plastic
fibers and even battery electrodes. bottles while limiting the environmental impact,”Ooho
designer Pierre Paslier, described the product as like
The patent was issued to the Kansas State University a “man-made fruit”, which uses a double membrane
Research Foundation, a nonprofit corporation responsible to contain water. To carry larger quantities of water, a
for managing technology transfer activities at the number of the capsules can be packed into a larger and
university. thicker skin: much like an orange. Unlike water bottles,
though, the Ooho only has a few days of shelf life. The
edible water bottles taste and feel like Jell-O. Flavors
could be added eventually, To eat it, people can just
eat the entire package, or peel off the top layer, since
it’s very much like a fruit.

Plastics News | April 2017 52