Researchers have found a way to turn non-biodegradable plastic bags into a high-tech material made of carbon nanotube membranes.
By vaporising used pieces of plastic bags in a furnace, tiny cylinders of carbon nanotubes were “grown” onto nanoporous alumina membranes.
The end-product is a highly sophisticated and expensive material that is hundreds of times stronger than steel but six times lighter.
Its unique mechanical, electrical, thermal and transport properties mean that it could be used in filtration, sensing, energy storage and a range of biomedical innovations.
Read more at University of Adelaide