February AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 9 1 3 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY MAKING AEROGELS FROM PLASTIC BOTTLE WASTE Achieving a world’s first, research- ers from the National University of Sin- gapore (NUS) are converting plastic waste into aerogels. This pioneering work has many potential appli- cations, including heat insula- tion and carbon dioxide absorp- tion, and presents a significant contribution toward resolving the global issue of plastic waste. Plastic bottles are com- monly made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most recycled plastic in the world. The aerogels developed by the NUS-led team using plastic bot- tle waste are soft, flexible, du- rable, lightweight, and easy to handle. They also demonstrate superior thermal insulation and strong absorption capacity. These properties make the aerogels attractive for a wide range of applications, like heat and sound insulation in buildings, oil spill cleanup, and also as a lightweight lining NUS researchers are turning plastic bottle waste into ultralight polyethylene terephthalate aerogels suitable for a wide range of applications. for firefighter coats and carbon dioxide absorption masks. According to the NUS researchers, the PET aerogels are extremely versa- tile and can be customized for diverse applications by applying different sur- face treatments. For example, when in- corporated with various methyl groups, the aerogels can quickly absorb large amounts of oil. The NUS team demon- strated that their aerogels perform up to seven times better than existing com- mercial sorbents. When coated with an amine group, the aerogel can quickly absorb carbon dioxide from the envi- ronment. The researchers are also look- ing into making simple surface modifi- cations to the newmaterials for absorp- tion of toxic gases such as carbon mon- oxide. www.nus.edu.sg .