Singapore team develop world's first PET aerogels from recycled plastics

Plastic bottles are commonly made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely recycled. The PET aerogels, developed by a team led by National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers, are said to be soft, flexible, durable, extremely light and easy to handle.

Applications could include heat and sound insulation for buildings, or as a lightweight lining for firefighter coats and carbon dioxide absorption masks used by firefighters.

The breakthrough was achieved by a research team led by Associate Professor Hai Minh Duong and Professor Nhan Phan-Thien from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NUS Faculty of Engineering. The technology to produce PET aerogels was developed in collaboration with Dr Xiwen Zhang from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

"One plastic bottle can be recycled to produce an A4-sized PET aerogel sheet,” said Assoc Prof Duong. “The fabrication technology is also easily scalable for mass production. In this way, we can help cut down the harmful environmental damage caused by plastic waste.” The work was published in Colloids and Surfaces A in August 2018.