A Miracle Material?

Plastic and its use on mass causes many problems as we all know. It is not biodegradable, made from oil, difficult to recycle and can be found almost everywhere floating in the sea or buried on land. What we need is something to replace it.

Over the last year researchers at the MMC in Paris have been working on a new material. What they have developed is something that might change the future of manufacturing.

See this short article for a more complete description.

Their material is called a vitrimer, it is organic, strong, lightweight and looks to bridge the gap between thermoplastics and thermoset products.

Will vitrimer replace plastic?

Could this be the future of manufacturing?

What this actually means to you and me is a material that is solid but workable across a wide temperature range, so doesn’t melt like plastic, break like glass, can be shaped after production (unlike plastic or other polymers) and easily recycled.

The material can be sculptured without the need for extreme heat, so can be liquefied and moulded and then bent once finished. This makes it an incredibly versatile substance for use in electronics, car manufacturing and many different fields of engineering.

Advantages include the possibility of not using moulds for large structures that produce shapes that cannot be adjusted. If necessary the form required can be made in-situ and manipulated to fit, something that is not possible with steel for example.

The constitution of the materials determines its rigidity, so you can make it like thick rubber with flexibility at room temperature or much more rigid, but it is not brittle and so will not snap.

Given the many problems associated with plastics and the weight issues of using steel, this material looks to offer the promise of a more versatile, easily recyclable, reusable and less polluting alternative, and certain sectors of the scientific community are calling it a wonder material.

One to watch I would say.

13 thoughts on “A Miracle Material?

  1. Christopher (admin team)

    Good to know there are developments in this area, as oil won’t last forever.

    I have heard that for the plastics that can’t currently be recycled, there are people working on a way to degrade it to such a state that it can then be reformed, but an organic alternative would be much better for the planet.

  2. This material, vitrimer could be a life saver for our planet, almost everything is made of plastic these days, we seem to have a love for it.
    Something had to be discovered as we cant go on forever abusing our planet.
    It`s nice and refreshing to stumble upon a blog that is interesting to read (and learn from) that isn`t the usual ramblings on!

    • Christopher (admin team)

      I know what you mean Lenin, I think if ever there is something we are doing or using that is seriously harming the planet, you can bet that someone, somewhere will be working on an alternative or fixing the situation.

      “It`s nice and refreshing to stumble upon a blog that is interesting to read (and learn from) that isn`t the usual ramblings on!” You have just discovered the works of Jonny Hankins, who is in my opinion one of our finest writers. I love reading his work. He currently launched new post every Thursday, (which I hope he continues to do) which is one of the highlights of my blogging week! If you liked this post, check out our archives, specifically Jonny’s – follow the link I put in earlier in the paragraph.

      Anyhow, thanks from me for leaving a comment, welcome to the community that is Technology Bloggers 🙂
      Christopher – Admin Team

  3. Science is evolving day-by-day and material like these are definitely going to help in preserving nature.
    Bio-degradable yet rigid and versatile enough to deploy anywhere is quite interesting, I wonder why they are not making use of such material in actual practice of production and manufacturing.

  4. There are many applications of this “miracle” material. By using is as a substrate of a composite material, Vitrimer could have an edge over metals and find a wide range of applications in areas as diverse as electronics, car manufacturing, construction, aeronautics and printing.
    Surely a great future concept !

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