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Wear-resistant, moldable mineral hydroplastics via nonsolvent-induced phase separation for adaptive architectural applications
Summary
Scientists have created a new material made mostly from natural minerals (up to 75%) instead of petroleum-based plastic, which can be molded like plastic but is as tough and fire-resistant as ceramic. Since it's built from minerals and can be shaped using water instead of harsh chemicals, this type of material could eventually reduce our reliance on traditional plastics in building construction, potentially cutting down on microplastic pollution and the chemical exposures linked to conventional plastics. This is early-stage materials research, so it's mainly aimed at construction uses like energy-efficient buildings rather than consumer products just yet.
The development of sustainable plastic alternatives derived from natural components, such as biopolymers and minerals, represents a promising strategy to mitigate the escalating problem of plastic pollution. Here, by employing a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) strategy, a hydro-processable mineral-dominated structural material, called "mineral hydroplastic" (M-Hydroplastic), is developed. High-mineral-content (up to 75 wt %) hydrogels are fabricated through in situ polymerization of specific monomers and shaped under mild conditions through polymer chain rearrangement triggered by nonsolvent exposure. Further pressing-assisted desolvation optimizes the orientation of mineral sheets, yielding hydro-processable high-mineral-content plastics with combined features of mineral (flexural strength, 90.6 MPa; hardness, 0.23 GPa; and flame retardancy) and plastic (low density of ∼1.5 g cm −3 and facile moldability). Combined experimental and computational analyses reveal that strong intercomponent hydrogen bonding and a nacre-like micro-structure underpin the material's exceptional mechanical performance. This versatile strategy is applicable to various minerals, producing a family of robust hydroplastics with tunable optical, thermal, and radiative properties. Such adaptability enables the design of multifunctional, flame-retardant materials for multi-scenario energy-efficient building applications. This work reconciles ceramic-like mechanical properties with polymer-like processability, providing crucial insights into designing next-generation plastic alternatives for engineering applications.