SUCCESSFULLY MANUFACTURE "SELF-HEALING" PLASTIC

TTO - Japanese scientists have found a way to make plastic that can self-heal at room temperature, which can be used to make smartphone screens and other products.

Previously, in 2018, chemistry professor Takuzo Aida of the University of Tokyo and colleagues used a substance called "polyether thiourea" to create a plastic material that can self-heal if the fragments are put back together at room temperature. 

According to the research team, the new plastic can heal cracks in plastic products that humans cannot see with the naked eye. 

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In their latest study, they mixed this plastic material with another non-self-healing plastic at a rate of 20%. Research results show that this plastic mixture is still capable of self-healing at room temperature.

Explaining the mechanism of action of the new plastic, Professor Aida said that plastic contains chains of molecules twisted together. The bonds among these molecules will disappear when the plastic product is broken. 

Currently, people have to melt ordinary plastic products at high temperatures to restore the bonds among these molecules. However, the new plastic can mend broken molecular chains through a mechanism known as "hydrogen bonding". Therefore, putting the fragments together at room temperature for about 1 hour would allow them to fully restore the strength of the bonds.

According to the research team, this new type of plastic can seal cracks in plastic products that humans cannot see with the naked eye. So this technique could help develop sustainable plastic products that don't need to be discarded or recycled. 

The scientists hope to be able to use this plastic to make cell phone screens, eyeglass frames, home electronics, furniture, airplanes, and cars.