Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers

Abstract Plastic production and waste are a growing menace that affects the soil, the marine environment, and the air in a cumulative manner. The demand for mineral and bioplastics from renewable and biodegradable materials has therefore increased in all relevant sectors. The use of currently availa...

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Main Authors: Neta Shimony, Adi Gross, Boaz Mizrahi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-02-01
Series:Global Challenges
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202400244
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author Neta Shimony
Adi Gross
Boaz Mizrahi
author_facet Neta Shimony
Adi Gross
Boaz Mizrahi
author_sort Neta Shimony
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Plastic production and waste are a growing menace that affects the soil, the marine environment, and the air in a cumulative manner. The demand for mineral and bioplastics from renewable and biodegradable materials has therefore increased in all relevant sectors. The use of currently available degradable plastics is, however, limited by their poor mechanical properties and high production costs. In addition, many of today's plastics undergo uncontrolled biodegradation processes that involve harsh or expensive conditions and which may last from months to years. Here, the advantages of using multi‐arm polymers for the production of sustainable mineral plastics are presented. A 4‐arm poly(acrylic acid) is synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization and is reacted with divalent calcium ions to obtain semi‐liquid hydrogel or degradable plastic when dried. The mechanical properties of the different phases are evaluated and compared with linear poly(acrylic acid) of the same molecular weight. The multi‐arm approach yielded improved mechanical characteristics, including self‐healing and biodegradation without compromising other typical hydrogel characteristics. This concept of synthesizing multi‐arm polymers with improved characteristics from building blocks of traditionally linear structures may be applicable to other mineral and bioplastic materials including acrylates, polysaccharides, and DNA.
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spelling doaj-art-03bb91d5cf5841d886ffb3ffe8a9779f2025-02-07T04:31:19ZengWileyGlobal Challenges2056-66462025-02-0192n/an/a10.1002/gch2.202400244Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm IonomersNeta Shimony0Adi Gross1Boaz Mizrahi2Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City Haifa 3200003 IsraelFaculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City Haifa 3200003 IsraelFaculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City Haifa 3200003 IsraelAbstract Plastic production and waste are a growing menace that affects the soil, the marine environment, and the air in a cumulative manner. The demand for mineral and bioplastics from renewable and biodegradable materials has therefore increased in all relevant sectors. The use of currently available degradable plastics is, however, limited by their poor mechanical properties and high production costs. In addition, many of today's plastics undergo uncontrolled biodegradation processes that involve harsh or expensive conditions and which may last from months to years. Here, the advantages of using multi‐arm polymers for the production of sustainable mineral plastics are presented. A 4‐arm poly(acrylic acid) is synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization and is reacted with divalent calcium ions to obtain semi‐liquid hydrogel or degradable plastic when dried. The mechanical properties of the different phases are evaluated and compared with linear poly(acrylic acid) of the same molecular weight. The multi‐arm approach yielded improved mechanical characteristics, including self‐healing and biodegradation without compromising other typical hydrogel characteristics. This concept of synthesizing multi‐arm polymers with improved characteristics from building blocks of traditionally linear structures may be applicable to other mineral and bioplastic materials including acrylates, polysaccharides, and DNA.https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202400244biomaterialsdegradationmineral plasticsmulti‐armpoly(acrylic acid)
spellingShingle Neta Shimony
Adi Gross
Boaz Mizrahi
Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
Global Challenges
biomaterials
degradation
mineral plastics
multi‐arm
poly(acrylic acid)
title Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
title_full Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
title_fullStr Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
title_full_unstemmed Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
title_short Mineral Plastics and Gels from Multi‐Arm Ionomers
title_sort mineral plastics and gels from multi arm ionomers
topic biomaterials
degradation
mineral plastics
multi‐arm
poly(acrylic acid)
url https://doi.org/10.1002/gch2.202400244
work_keys_str_mv AT netashimony mineralplasticsandgelsfrommultiarmionomers
AT adigross mineralplasticsandgelsfrommultiarmionomers
AT boazmizrahi mineralplasticsandgelsfrommultiarmionomers