Microplastic fibres shed from textiles are one of the main sources of plastic pollution in our water. Dr. Lahiri had the brilliant idea of preventing the problem entirely, using our polydimethylsiloxane brush coatings. Microfibres are released due to fibre/fibre friction, and he and Sonia have developed a robust, low-friction fabric finish that reduces the amount of micro plastics released from nylon by 92%. This is the first report quantitatively linking frictional abrasion to microfibre release, and also attempting to eliminate it using low-friction coatings. Really promising stuff that could have a substantial impact on the planet. Excellent work Sudip and Sonia!!
Check out Polydimethylsiloxane-coated textiles with minimized microplastic pollution.
Nature also wrote up a non-technical Research Briefing. Link here.
I also put together a short ‘Behind the Paper’ on Sudip and Sonia’s work, which can be read here.
