. 24/7 Space News .
TECH SPACE
Scientists turn plastic into moisture-wicking textile
by Brooks Hays
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 15, 2021

Scientists have developed a new strategy for turning plastic into wearable textiles. The breakthrough -- described Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability -- could help ease Earth's growing plastic pollution problem.

Attempts to make plastic textiles have previously faltered as a result of polyethylene's inability to wick away and evaporate moisture.

However, engineers at MIT have managed to weave polyethylene into fibers that absorb and evaporate water more quickly than cotton, nylon, polyester and other common textiles.

The authors of the new paper hope their technology will incentivize plastic recycling.

"Once someone throws a plastic bag in the ocean, that's a problem," Svetlana Boriskina, mechanical engineer at MIT, told MIT News.

"But those bags could easily be recycled, and if you can make polyethylene into a sneaker or a hoodie, it would make economic sense to pick up these bags and recycle them," Boriskina said.

More than just a plastic pollution solution, researchers suggest plastic textiles could be more eco-friendly over the course of their life cycle than cotton and nylon textiles.

Polyethylene is the world's most common plastic. Its carbon-hydrogen molecules form Teflon-like chains that resist binding with water and other molecules.

"Everyone we talked to said polyethylene might keep you cool, but it wouldn't absorb water and sweat because it rejects water, and because of this, it wouldn't work as a textile," Boriskina said.

Researchers tried anyways, using standard textile manufacturing to turn polyethylene powder into thin fibers.

Scientists were surprised to find the fiber-fabrication process caused the polyethylene to become weakly hydrophilic -- attracting, not repelling, water molecules.

To create wearable textiles, researchers fed their fibers back into the extrude, fusing multiple fibers into threads that could woven together. The fused fibers yielded capillaries capable of absorbing and trapping moisture attracted to the thread's surface.

Both computer models and tweaks to the production process showed the thread's wicking abilities could be improved by altering its diameter and the arrangement of its fibers.

Though the material's wicking ability decreased after getting wet multiple times, scientists found that its wicking properties could be refreshed by both friction and UV light.

"You can refresh the material by rubbing it against itself, and that way it maintains its wicking ability," Boriskina said. "It can continuously and passively pump away moisture."

Researchers were able to color the threads by mixing colored particles with the polyethylene powder prior to the extrusion process. Authors of the new paper suggest the process is more eco-friendly than traditional textile dyeing processes.

Though the polyethylene fibers weakly attract and absorb water, they still don't bind with other molecules, which make them easier to clean -- saving energy that would be otherwise used to power longer, warmer wash cycles.

"It doesn't get dirty because nothing sticks to it," Boriskina said. "You could wash polyethyelene on the cold cycle for 10 minutes, versus washing cotton on the hot cycle for an hour."

Even if polyethylene textiles relied on newly produced plastic, scientists estimate the plastic-derived material would still be more eco-friendly than traditional textiles.

"Polyethylene has a lower melting temperature so you don't have to heat it up as much as other synthetic polymer materials to make yarn, for example," Boriskina said.

"Synthesis of raw polyethylene also releases less greenhouse gas and waste heat than synthesis of more conventional textile materials such as polyester or nylon. Cotton also takes a lot of land, fertilizer, and water to grow, and is treated with harsh chemicals, which all comes with a huge ecological footprint," Boriskina said.


Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


TECH SPACE
Controlled by light alone, new smart materials twist, bend and move
Medford MA (SPX) Mar 15, 2021
Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have created light-activated composite devices able to execute precise, visible movements and form complex three-dimensional shapes without the need for wires or other actuating materials or energy sources. The design combines programmable photonic crystals with an elastomeric composite that can be engineered at the macro and nano scale to respond to illumination. The research provides new avenues for the development of smart light-driven syste ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

TECH SPACE
Air leak in Russia's ISS Zvezda module still unresolved

NASA awards Rapid IV On-Ramp 1 Contract for Spacecraft Systems, Services

ISS crew to relocate Soyuz to make room for new arrivals

NASA astronauts complete spacewalk

TECH SPACE
Soyuz rocket gets new paint job for first time in over 50 years

SpaceX launches 22nd cluster of Starlink satellites

Pentagon awards SpaceX over $159 Million in 'Competitive' Space Launch Contract

Four Long March 11 launches by sea planned

TECH SPACE
Three bacterial strains discovered on space station may help grow plants on Mars

Perseverance SuperCam science instrument delivers first results

Hope Probe captures new images of Mars with the Emirates Ultraviolet Spectrometer

Early Martian climate was intermittently warm

TECH SPACE
China advances space cooperation in 2020: blue book

China selects astronauts for space station program

China tests high-thrust rocket engine for upcoming space station missions

China has over 300 satellites in orbit

TECH SPACE
Umbra hits regulatory "jackpot" for its satellite constellation able to see a soda can from space

City under pressure to invest into UK space industry

Pioneering UK space technology gets government cash boost

ESA defines elements of future European space transportation solutions

TECH SPACE
Scientists turn plastic into moisture-wicking textile

Pioneering study gives new insight into formation of copper deposits

Controlled by light alone, new smart materials twist, bend and move

ELSA-d mission licence approved by UK Space Agency

TECH SPACE
There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres

Distant planet may be on its second atmosphere

Ideas for future NASA missions searching for extraterrestrial civilizations

A giant, sizzling planet may be orbiting the star Vega

TECH SPACE
SwRI scientists image a bright meteoroid explosion in Jupiter's atmosphere

Solar system's most distant planetoid confirmed

Peering at the Surface of a Nearby Moon

A Hot Spot on Jupiter









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.