World Industrial Reporter

Innovation Delivered Daily

  • Innovation
    • Innovation Article Archive
    • Innovative Companies
    • Innovation Strategies
    • New Equipment Innovations
  • New Products
  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Markets
    • Market Trends
    • Tradeshow Reports
    • White Papers
  • Logistics
  • Newsletters
You are here: Home / Innovation / Best of 2018: Pitcher Plant Inspires Super Slippery Industrial Packaging Process

Best of 2018: Pitcher Plant Inspires Super Slippery Industrial Packaging Process

December 30, 2018

Virginia Tech scientists have created a super slippery industrial packaging solution to do away with food waste.

Almost everyone who eats fast food is familiar with the frustration of trying to squeeze every last drop of ketchup out of the small packets that accompany french fries.

What most consumers don’t realize, however, is that food left behind in plastic packaging contribute to millions of pounds of perfectly edible food that Americans throw out every year. 

New research from Virginia Tech has established a method for wicking chemically compatible vegetable oils into the surfaces of common extruded plastics.

Not only will the technique help sticky foods release from their packaging much more easily, but for the first time, it can also be applied to inexpensive and readily available plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, reports its creators.

These hydrocarbon-based polymers make up 55% of the total demand for plastics in the world today, meaning potential applications for the research stretch far beyond just ketchup packets.

“Previous SLIPS, or slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces, have been made using silicon- or fluorine-based polymers, which are very expensive,” said Ranit Mukherjee, a doctoral student and the study’s lead author. “But we can make our SLIPS out of these hydrocarbon-based polymers, which are widely applicable to everyday packaged products.”

First created by Harvard University researchers in 2011, SLIPS are porous surfaces or absorbent polymers that can hold a chemically compatible oil within their surfaces via the process of wicking.

Current SLIPS however aren’t attractive for industrial applications due to their high cost, while the method of adding roughness to surfaces can likewise be an expensive and complicated process.

“We had two big breakthroughs,” said assistant professor and a study co-author, Jonathan Boreyko. “Not only are we using these hydrocarbon-based polymers that are cheap and in high demand, but we don’t have to add any surface roughness, either. We actually found oils that are naturally compatible with the plastics, so these oils are wicking into the plastic itself, not into a roughness we have to apply.”

The technique was inspired by the roots of the carnivorous pitcher plant that entices insects to the edge of a deep cavity filled with nectar and digestive enzymes.

Image credits and content: Virginia Tech

Share on

Filed Under: Innovation

Best of 2018: MIT Breakthrough Ensures Direct Data Transfer through Air-Water Barrier
Best of 2018: BAE’s Wearable Cockpit could Change the Future of Flying

About Aruna Urs

Aruna is an industrial journalist. He writes on innovations that emanate at the intersection of science and engineering having a profound impact on the manufacturing sector.

Follow me
Suppliers

Super High Response Speed Servo Valve

With “Dual Halbach Magnet Array” configuration, which makes the strongest magnetic field more than twice as much as the conventional model. Santest Direct Acting Servo Valve has achieved world-class highest frequency response speed of 800Hz. DA Series also has excellent contamination resistance. Find out more about how this patented servo valve works.
View Supplier Email this Supplier

Smallest VGA Infrared Camera in the World

The thermoIMAGER TIM 640 provides thermal images in real time due to its optical resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. The weight is just 320g. TIM 640 performs radiometric imaging and video recording detecting even the smallest of thermal defects reliably.
View Supplier Email this Supplier

KELLER in Space

On 22 September 2018, a Japanese H-IIB rocket launched the HTV supply vessel containing the ACLS module destined for the International Space Station. The ACLS is tasked with “recycling” CO2 from the air in the spacecraft and generating fresh oxygen for the crew by means of electrolysis. KELLER AG für Druckmesstechnik has developed and manufactured highly reliable absolute and differential pressure transmitters to regulate these processes.
View Supplier Email this Supplier

Subscribe

Get the latest WIR reports straight to your inbox.

Free Newsletter Subscription

Find us on the social web.

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Terms Of Use
  • Privacy Policy
FREE NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION

Get the latest WIR reports straight to your inbox.

  • Innovation Article Archive
  • Innovation Strategies
  • Innovative Companies
  • New Products
  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Market Trends
  • Tradeshow Reports
  • White Papers
  • Logistics
  • Newsletters
  • Fun Stuff
  • Industry Links
Follow us

© 2019 Thomas Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site you agree.OkRead more