Page 19 - Plastics News Issue - January 2025
P. 19
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
Self-healing plastic breakthrough could
revolutionise packaging
The reformulated plastic was manu-
factured with nanosheets of a mate-
rial called MXene – appearing to the
naked eye as a powder – which is
used industrially as a reinforcement
agent for plastics. Specially treated
with a glue-like agent, the MXene
sits dormant within the plastic until
it is exposed to moisture in the at-
mosphere by a breakage: it then
activates, bonding the broken sec-
The plastic begins to heal itself in a tions back together. Chirag Ratwani,
matter of minutes chief scientist of the project and PhD
A added: “Using MXene with our healing agent
student at Bournemouth University,
breakthrough in the development of
self-healing packaging could revolu-
means that we get the benefits of stronger plas-
tionise the packaging industry by al-
tic, which is harder to break, but if it does break,
lowing products to fix themselves after cracking
it will fix itself. The process takes just a few min-
or even breaking into pieces. “We are following
utes, and we managed to restore the plastic to
the same process as mother nature - when you
96% of its original strength.”
cut your finger, the blood will initially solidify
to cover the crack until the skin tissue seals it, The process would theoretically be suitable for a
and that is what we are doing with our plastics,” wide variety of plastic polymer types, Abdelkad-
said Amor Abdelkader, associate professor in er told Printweek, with the team now searching
advanced materials at Bournemouth University, for commercial partners to help move the con-
who led the study. “Most of the things in our cept from the laboratory to the store. The pro-
everyday lives have plastic in them and this has cess would not be suitable for food-safe pack-
the potential to extend the life of a whole range aging, but Abdelkader’s team has done prior
of products and reduce waste, from re-useable research into biopolymers that would be suit-
drink bottles to mobile phones to plastic pipes able for contact with food.
and so much more.”
Source: - Print week
January 2025 PLASTICS NEWS 19
