Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science have created new sturdy and biodegradable plastics.
Plastic is an essential part of life, but when it breaks down, it becomes microplastics, which pollute the ocean and harm humans and marine life.
but none have been found that would naturally break down in seawater. Most are water-insoluble, so they still contribute to microplastic pollution.
Now, a study published in Science found a supramolecular polymer that dissolves into metabolizable compounds in salt water.
The team made the new plastics "by combining two ionic monomers that form cross-linked salt bridges,
When two monomers were mixed in water, they created two different liquids
The other was watery. "When sodium hexametaphosphate and alkyl diguanidinium sulfate were used, sodium sulfate salt was expelled into the watery layer
The desalting process was vital because when the material was put in salt water, it reversed and dissolved in "a matter of hours."