CNRS: an "eternal" plastic made in France?

[Christophe]

French researchers invent plastic considered revolutionary

French researchers have created a plastic that can be shaped at will and reused like glass, light and inexpensive to manufacture. A “revolutionary” advance with multiple industrial applications, according to their work published Thursday in the United States.

Currently, plastics cannot be heated and reshaped once hardened, a property reserved in particular for glass, a mineral compound. The team of chemists, led by Ludwik Leibler of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), managed to develop this new material which can be shaped at high temperature by working with components already used in industry such as epoxy resins , which harden under the effect of heat or when a catalyst (hardener) is added.

This new organic matter can go from the liquid state to the solid state or vice versa, like glass, retaining certain properties specific to organic resins or rubbers, according to these researchers, who also emphasize its lightness and the fact that it is insoluble and difficult to break.

In addition, it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture according to the team of chemists whose discovery is the subject of a communication which appears in the American journal Science dated November 18.

This new material could have many industrial applications, notably in aeronautics, automotive, construction, electronics and sport, sectors which are looking for a substitute for steel and other metals.

Currently, composite materials based on thermosetting resins are the best option thanks to their mechanical, thermal and chemical resistance properties. But these resins must be heated in the final shape of the part to be manufactured because once hardened no welding or repair is possible. It is also impossible to reshape them as is done for example with metal or glass.

http://www.liberation.fr/sciences/01012 ... utionnaire

[I Citro]

Okay, if they say so, it must be true ...

I do not understand very well...
I mainly distinguish 2 categories of plastics:
- Thermoplastics
- Thermosets

Thermosets are used in mechanical and electrical applications for their hardness and dielectric properties, when metals are not usable.

Thermoplastics are used for many applications where their use is less expensive than that of metal, in particular the production of complex shapes by molding.

I like to form and glue thermoplastics like PVC to "bend" it to my needs.

If specialists could really enlighten us on the innovation of this invention.

[Macro]

My wife worked for 5 years in plastic injection. It was not uncommon that unsold or defective lots were crushed and reinjected at 100% ... I do not know what materials she worked with but ' had all shapes of all colors (and even translucent) and for all destinations (food, lab, automotive, bottles ...)

[Obamot]

I like to form and glue thermoplastics like PVC to "bend" it to my needs.

You supply yourself with a plate that you thermoform afterwards, is that it? If so, who are the plate suppliers? Where do you get your supplies? And how do you implement this, because right now, I'm working on this type of problem ...!

[elephant]

Macro said:

My wife worked for 5 years in plastic injection. It was not uncommon that unsold or defective lots were crushed and reinjected at 100% ... I do not know what materials she worked with but ' had all shapes of all colors (and even translucent) and for all destinations (food, lab, automotive, bottles ...)
_________________

+1

Quite macro, many plastic materials are delivered in the form of granules in 50 kg bags to injection companies: polystyrene, makrolon, polypropylene and many others. We melt them to inject them.

PET and PVC are blown.

On the other hand, "big parts" materials such as polyester are currently not recyclable. And that's a great pity: the recycling of pleasure craft is a real problem which is currently only solved by landfill. This article is a bit incomplete

[Christophe]

Am not a plastics technician but I think that it is surely a question of stability over time (aging of plastics) and the number of recycling (fonts) possible ...

A freshly melted plastic can surely be remelted more easily while retaining its properties ...

LeJuste will surely tell us more!

[Macro]

You supply yourself with a plate that you thermoform afterwards, is that it? If so, who are the plate suppliers? Where do you get your supplies? And how do you implement this, because right now, I'm working on this type of problem ...!

There are PVC plates in the trash cans (they serve as billboards or other)

PVC (and many others, PE, ABS) Are weldable with an automatic or manual heat gun with the plastic rod similar to that which is welded. Almost child's play. Be careful you have to know the melting temperatures otherwise we grill the plastics which become hard and brittle ...

[chatelot16]

[b] French researchers invent plastic considered revolutionary

http://www.liberation.fr/sciences/01012 ... utionnaire

a lot of annery

thermoplastics can be remelted forever ... of course with a drop in quality at each fusion exactly like metals or glass ... we never remake a new bottle with only old! the composition must be checked and corrected with new products

they also say that the current composite materials do not repair! Have they never seen a polyester and fiberglass boat repair?

[Forhorse]

I work in plastics, and you should know that for a lot of application we add to plastics (eg PE) "catalyst" for crosslinking to occur.
Once the chemical reaction has started (which can take more than a week to stabilize), it is impossible to remelt the material. The molecules are frozen.
Kind of like vulcanization of rubber.
If the material is reheated once this crosslinking has taken place, it will not melt but it will eventually become leather and become brittle or burn (depending on the temperature used)

[Leo Maximus]

[b] French researchers invent plastic considered revolutionary

http://www.liberation.fr/sciences/01012 ... utionnaire

a lot of annery

thermoplastics can be remelted forever ... of course with a drop in quality at each fusion exactly like metals or glass ... we never remake a new bottle with only old! the composition must be checked and corrected with new products

they also say that the current composite materials do not repair! Have they never seen a polyester and fiberglass boat repair?

There are also the microgroove records of yesteryear. The unsold items were returned to the factory, crushed (with the label ...!) And repressed into new discs 40/50 years ago.