Scientists Tap a Greener Way to Make Colorful Plastics

Long before humans figured out how to create colors, nature had already perfected the process — for example, think stunning, bright butterfly wings of many different hues.

Now scientists are tapping into those secrets to develop a more environmentally friendly way to make colored plastics. Their paper on using structure — or the shapes and architectures of materials — rather than dyes, to produce color appears in the ACS journal Nano Letters.

Our Marine Ecosystems Are Being Severely Effected By Plastics
Up till now it was unknown to researchers whether ingested plastic transfers chemical additives or pollutants to wildlife. However, a new study has shown that toxic concentrations of pollutants

N. Asger Mortensen, Anders Kristensen and colleagues point out that currently, plastic manufacturers add pigments to their products. That gives them the range of colors customers have come to expect in everything from toys to tools. But these additional ingredients add to the growing waste stream of plastics manufacturing and make it difficult to recycle products. To come up with a more eco-friendly alternative, Mortensen's team turned to highly advanced materials that can be made to appear in different colors — purely by designing their surface structures at the nanoscopic level.

They layered materials, including ultrathin, nano-sized aluminum disks, in a way that manipulates light and creates a new kind of colored surface. To protect it from damage, the scientists topped it off with a scratch-resistant film. Using this method, they created a wide spectrum of colors that could be added to plastics.

Source-Eurekalert

Fats and Oils Make Become Key Ingredient for Plastics
Scientists are undergoing a way to create plastics that have fats and oils as a key ingredient.

Vegetable and Animal Oils can be Converted to an Ingredient for Making Plastics
Scientists have developed a new method through which vegetable and animal fats and oils - ranging from lard to waste cooking oil - can be converted to a key ingredient for making plastics

Plastics Used in Food Packaging Linked to High Blood Pressure in Children
Common types of plastics used in food packaging could be dangerous to children as they may lead to high blood pressure, a new study reveals.