The more ways to get rid of plastic garbage come up with humanity —all the better and no matter how exotic individual developments look. At the National University of Singapore, old PET sections learned to turn through complex chemical and physical processes into a weightless and multifunctional airgel.
The starting raw materials, plastic, chopping to the smallest state, after which this mass is covered with silicon dioxide. Then follow a series of chemical processes, which so far are kept secret to make the fibers of treated plastic “swell”. They are dried and the airgel is obtained – light, porous, flexible and at the same time very durable material.
Airgel, first of all, is a wonderful sorbent —It is 7-10 times more effective than popular modern materials. He has a tremendous inner area, which, coupled with an insignificant own weight, helps to absorb and hold a significant amount of liquid dirt, oil, oil, and t.D. Also, it can act as a filter in facial masks, with the same effect. And when adding the right additives to capture even such deadly compounds as carbon monoxide.
This is also a good acoustic material and very good – fire -retardant. In the refractory version, as an element of firefighter equipment, the Aerohel layer withstand heating up to 620 ° C, which is many times larger than the standard for materials from which they create protective clothing. At the same time, it weighs 10 times less, and due to the fact that it is created from bunch raw materials, it can make real competition other alloys and compositions on the market.
The authors of the technology have patented it and are now striving to keep the details secret until an investor or partner is found to launch the production of an airgoel for the needs of the world industry.
Source — National University of Singapore