They develop a biodegradable and biorecyclable glass

A family of eco-friendly glasses made from bio-based amino acids or peptides, which are biodegradable and biorecyclable, has been developed by a team of Chinese researchers.

This type of molecular glass can be the basis of a green living technology for a sustainable futurealthough it is still in the laboratory phase and “far from commercialization on a large scale,” said the coordinator of the team Yan Xuehai, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Today Science Advances publishes a study in which the team details this potential future alternative to persistent, non-biodegradable glass.

Making bio-based eco-friendly glass is difficult because biomolecules have little thermal stability and break down easily to the high temperatures that are usually used in the manufacture of glass.

In this case, the team used chemically modified amino acids and peptides to manufacture biomolecular glass with biodegradability and biorecyclability characteristics through the classic “heat-thaw” procedure.

The researchers followed the glass-forming ability, the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters related to the glass transition of the material, as well as the performance of the glass in vitro and in vivo.

This new glass based on derivatives of amino acids or peptides pIt presents “a unique combination” of functional properties and ecological characteristics, as well as the desired biodegradability and biorecyclability, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Source-listindiario.com