There are many glittering packaging, cosmetic bottles, fruit plates and so on, but many of them are made of toxic and unsustainable materials, which will cause plastic pollution. Recently, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have found a way to produce sustainable, non-toxic and biodegradable flash agents from cellulose, the main component of the cell wall of plants, fruits and vegetables. Relevant papers were published in the journal Nature and materials on the 11th. This flash agent is made of cellulose nanocrystals. It changes light through structural color, so as to glow bright colors. In nature, for example, the flashes of butterfly wings and peacock feathers are masterpieces of structural color, which will not fade after a century. Researchers say that using self-assembly technology, cellulose can produce colorful films. By optimizing the cellulose solution and coating parameters, the research team can fully control the self-assembly process, so that the materials can be manufactured in rolls on a large scale. Their process is compatible with existing industrial scale machines. Using commercially available cellulosic materials, it takes only a few steps to convert into a suspension containing this flash agent. After large-scale production of cellulose films, researchers grind them into particles the size used to make flash or effect pigments. This particle is biodegradable, plastic free and non-toxic. In addition, the energy intensity of this process is much lower than that of traditional methods. Their materials can be used to replace plastic flash particles and tiny mineral pigments widely used in cosmetics. Traditional pigments, such as flash powder used daily, are unsustainable materials and will pollute the soil and ocean. General pigment minerals must be heated at 800 ℃ to form pigment particles, which is not conducive to the natural environment. The cellulose nanocrystalline film prepared by the team can be manufactured on a large scale by the "roll to roll" process, just like papermaking with wood pulp. This material is industrialized for the first time. In Europe, the cosmetics industry uses about 5500 tons of micro plastics every year. Professor Sylvia vignolini, senior author of the paper and professor of Yusuf Hamid Department of chemistry at Cambridge University, said they believed that this product could completely change the cosmetics industry. In the future, researchers will further optimize the production process and commercialize the flash agent. (outlook new era)
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：Sci-Tech Daily
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