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 | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 1 3 SUSTAINABILITY BRIEF MULTIFUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC MATERIAL A research team from Australia’s Flinders University created a new material that can be moved remotely with a magnet. The multifunctional material, made from magnetic iron particles and a sulfur-rich polymer, could have applications in water purification, recyclable construction material, and soft robotics. Researchers hot-press the polymer mixture and iron particles to make the key material, with the iron particles imparting the ability to move the material with a magnet. Lead researcher Nicholas Lundquist reports that the team used their magnetic composite material in several applications. For instance, they used it to first bindmercury inmine tailings and then proceeded to retrieve the material—bound to mercury—with a magnet. Lundquist says this process could be a simple way to remove toxic metals from complex mixtures. The magnetic-responsive material was also demonstrated to be an effective binder for new construction materials, charting new paths for converting waste into value-added products. Additionally, the team fashioned a solenoid valve from the material by rapidly shaping and curing the machine component in a microwave. The valve component was one-tenth of the mass of the original all-metal component. The versatile new material is also recyclable, as it can be ground up and reshaped multiple times. The teamsays their newwork provides important additional evidence of the potential and versatility of sulfur-rich polymers. www.flinders.edu.au. PLASTIC ALTERNATIVE Researchers from the Indian Institutes of Technology are developing transparent wood in hopes of replacing plastics for car windshields, seethrough packaging, and biomedical devices. According to the research team, transparent wood reduces ecological impacts due to its renewable and biodegradable properties. The material is also five times more efficient than glass, making it highly cost-effective. The researchers say transparent wood is emerging as one of the most promising substitute materials of the future. Initially fabricated in 1992 by German scientist Siegfried Fink, transparent wood is made by removing the lignin content in wood and replacing it with transparent, plastic materials. Lignin is a naturally occurring biopolymer that supports plant tissue—but unlike plastics, it can decompose and is nontoxic. “Plastics are used as a substitute for glass, which is [naturally] fragile,” comments researcher Prodyut Dhar. “However, transparent wood is an even better alternative from an ecological perspective as observed in our life-cycle analysis.” According to the researchers, producing transparent wood using sodium chlorite as a lignin removal agent and then inducing epoxy infiltration had far less environmental impact than commonly usedmethods that involvemethacrylate polymers. While the end-of-life analysis suggests that transparent wood is less environmentally friendly than glass, researchers say it’s still better than producing polyethylene, indicating the need to improve the production technology. www.iitsystem.ac.in. Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, Germany, and appliance manufacturer Miele signed an agreement for the supply of climate-friendly “bluemint” steel from thyssenkrupp’s direct reduction plant planned for 2026. The first hydrogenfueled direct reduction plant with downstreammelters will have a capacity of over two million metric tons and will initially reduce CO2 emissions at thyssenkrupp Steel by more than 20%. Miele and thyssenkrupp plan to switch to 100% bluemint steel by 2030. thyssenkrupp-steel.com. Electronics and robotic equipment could one day be made from renewable materials, thus reducing landfill waste. Courtesy of Pixabay. Transparent wood may be a sustainable alternative for glass or plastic used in the production of windshields, see-through packaging, and biomedical devices. Courtesy of Anish M. Chathoth.
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