What if you could transform the plastic spoon you used at lunch into a cup for your water and then change it back to a spoon? That is precisely what researchers had in mind when they created “pluripotent (多能性的) plastic.”
The magical material is made using polymers (聚合物) that can be modified by heating. The technique is often used in metalwork. It requires heating the metal to a specific temperature and then chilling it. The researchers found that heating the plastic to temperatures between 60℃ and 110℃ and then rapidly freezing it allowed them to create different objects in no time. To test the plastic, they first made it into a spoon strong enough to scoop up peanut butter. The spoon was then transformed into a fork to pick up cheese. After that, the fork was converted into an adhesive (粘合剂), which then became a small claw to pick up objects.
The team, led by graduate student Nicholas Boynton, published their study in the journal Science. The current version of the plastic still needs to be improved. Its shape-shifting ability stops working after seven times. The plastic holds its shape for at least a month, but the engineers are unsure how long it remains suitable for reuse.
However, they state that once ready, it would be extremely useful, both on Earth and in space. “If you’re going to live on the moon or Mars, you can’t take a bunch of materials with you, so it’d be great if you have this one material that you can turn into a bunch of different stuff,” said Boynton. More importantly, it could help reduce the amount of single-use plastics that end up in our landfills every day. Also, current plastics have varying molecular (分子的) structures that are permanently bonded. As a result, plastic items have to be carefully sorted before recycling. If pluripotent plastic becomes the universal standard, all items could be processed together. This would make recycling a lot easier and more efficient.
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