No matter how hard we try, plastic manages to make it into the environment. For instance, in the case of paper cups, the inner lining is done with a plastic coating to allow for the cup’s structural integrity not to get affected by the warm, liquid beverage.
According to the USA's Environmental Protection Agency, as of 2018, out of the 82.2 million tonnes of plastic food container waste generated in the US, around 30.4 million tonnes ended up in landfills. And this number is simply in the US alone with other parts of the world contributing more.?
However, now, researchers at the University of Tokyo have found a way where the paper will get the same level of rigidity as plastic while keeping it waterproof too.
The material is dubbed Choetsu and it's essentially a combination of materials that when applied to paper, spontaneously generates a strong and waterproof film as soon as it comes in contact with moisture in the air.?
The coating is made using low-cost chemicals that are safe for use -- methyltrimethoxysilane, some isopropyl alcohol, and a small amount of tetraisopropyl titanate. Its application works similar to the plastic lining that we see today -- paper structures like coffee cups and food containers are sprayed or dipped in this solution and dried at room temperature.
After the drying is complete, a thin layer of silica is formed on the cellulose, making the paper rigid, strong and waterproof.?
Professor Zenji Hiroi from the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo explained, "The technical challenge is complete, and some applications could be realized soon, such as items for consuming, packaging or storing food. We now hope to use this approach on other kinds of materials as well.”
He added, “The liquid composition can be tuned for other materials, and we can create dirt and mould-resistant coating that could form onto glass, ceramics and even other plastics to extend their usefulness. Alongside researcher Yoko Iwamiya, who has been working in this field for some time now, and the rest of my team, I hope we can do something truly beneficial for the world."
Keep visiting?Indiatimes.com?for the latest?science and technology?news.