TOKYO, Nov. 11 -- JAMSTEC issued the following press release:
Researchers from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Kyoto Institute of Technology, and Kyoto University have developed a new functional material that enables low-temperature molding of common plastics using pressure instead of heat. The findings have been published online in ACS Macro Letters.
By adding a baroplastic-a polymer that softens under pressure-to the widely used biodegradable plastic poly(L-lactide) (PLLA), the team succeeded in reducing its molding temperature from about 160 degree C to 60 degree C. This approach allows efficient molding without thermal degradation, achieving both energy savings and material recyclability.
The study...