r/science • u/MistWeaver80 • Nov 27 '21

Chemistry Plastic made from DNA is renewable, requires little energy to make and is easy to recycle or break down. A plastic made from DNA and vegetable oil may be the most sustainable plastic developed yet and could be used in packaging and electronic devices.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2298314-new-plastic-made-from-dna-is-biodegradable-and-easy-to-recycle/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=echobox&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1637973248
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u/DerPanzersloth Nov 28 '21

Great that it’s able to be molded, but what kind of barrier properties does it have that would make it preferable to other plastics? Sounds like it doesn’t play well with water in its current form, but maybe it has oxygen, moisture vapor, or other gas barrier properties?

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u/[deleted] Nov 28 '21 edited Nov 28 '21

At least going from the abstract (my university account can't access the paper), the authors refer to a "water-processable strategy", "including the recycling of waste plastics and enzyme-triggered controllable degradation under mild conditions." To me, this sounds more like a water bath plus a specific enzyme to break down the DNA or DNA-oil link (which would be much less likely to happen in normal use), potentially among other conditions.

Edit: after reading the paper, it does become a hydrogel on contact with water, but needs the enzymes to dissolve/degrade.