High-Strength Plastic Film

Researchers recently discovered a way to make a lightweight plastic film that’s as strong as aluminum, a breakthrough that could lead to windows and displays with greater impact resistance than ever before. Unlike other transparent plastics, such as polycarbonate (PC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which are heavy and often brittle, the new material is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

To create a film, HDPE is heated to a temperature below the melting point and drawn into sheets. But this process can create voids and defects that produce an opaque appearance, so additives are often used to enhance transparency. The goal of this research was to eliminate the need for additives in the manufacturing process. It was found that fine-tuning the drawing temperature to be between 90 and 110 degrees Centigrade successfully achieved a transparency of 90 percent while also optimizing mechanical strength.

The researchers surmise that the mobility of the polymer chains is greater at these temperatures, leading to fewer defects, less light scattering and, ultimately, greater clarity. In addition, the new films have a resilience rating and a tensile strength that is 10 times higher than PC and PMMA plastics.

The new material will be suitable for a wide range of applications that require both transparency and resilience, including windows, windshields, visors and displays.