Scientists Create Self-Cleaning Bioplastic Inspired by Lotus

This picture shows farmer Nguyen Van Khoa harvesting lotus flowers on a pond in Hanoi. (AFP)
This picture shows farmer Nguyen Van Khoa harvesting lotus flowers on a pond in Hanoi. (AFP)
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Scientists Create Self-Cleaning Bioplastic Inspired by Lotus

This picture shows farmer Nguyen Van Khoa harvesting lotus flowers on a pond in Hanoi. (AFP)
This picture shows farmer Nguyen Van Khoa harvesting lotus flowers on a pond in Hanoi. (AFP)

A research team at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have developed a self-cleaning bioplastic that is eco-friendly and ideal for fresh food and takeaway packaging.

The new plastic is inspired by the nature full of ingeniously designed structures that could inspire researchers striving to develop new high-performance and multifunctional materials, reported the team in their study published March 8 in the journal Science of The Total Environment.

Plastic waste is one of our biggest environmental challenges but the alternative this team developed is both eco-friendly and cost-effective. "We've replicated the phenomenally water-repellent structure of lotus leaves to deliver a unique type of bioplastic that precisely combines both strength and degradability," lead author Mehran Ghasemlou said.

The bioplastic is made from cheap and widely available raw materials -- starch and cellulose -- to keep production costs low and support rapid biodegradability.

The fabrication process does not require complicated equipment and would be simple to upscale to a roll-to-roll production line, Ghasemlou said.

While biodegradable plastics are a growing market, most biodegradable or compostable plastics require industrial processes and high temperatures to break them down.

The new bioplastic does not need industrial intervention to biodegrade, with trials showing it breaks down naturally and quickly in soil. "There are big differences between plant-based materials -- just because something is made from green ingredients doesn't mean it will easily degrade," Ghasemlou said.

"We carefully selected our raw materials for compostability and this is reflected in the results from our soil studies, where we can see our bioplastic rapidly breaks down simply with exposure to the bacteria and bugs in soil. Our ultimate aim is to deliver packaging that could be added to your backyard compost or thrown into a green bin alongside other organic waste, so that food waste can be composted together with the container it came in, to help prevent food contamination of recycling,” he explained.

The researchers inspired their new bioplastic from the always immaculate lotus leaf renowned for having some of the most water-repellent surfaces on earth and are almost impossible to get dirty.

The secret lies in the leaf's surface structure, which is composed of tiny pillars topped with a waxy layer. Any water that lands on the leaf remains a droplet, simply rolling off with the help of gravity or wind. The droplets sweep up dirt as they slide down, keeping the leaf clean.

To make their lotus-inspired material, the RMIT team of science and engineering researchers first synthetically engineered a plastic made of starch and cellulosic nanoparticles. The surface of this bioplastic was imprinted with a pattern that mimics the structure of lotus leaves, then coated with a protective layer of PDMS, a silicon-based organic polymer.

Tests show the bioplastic not only repels liquids and dirt effectively, but also retains its self-cleaning properties after being scratched with abrasives and exposed to heat, acid and ethanol. Corresponding author, Professor Benu Adhikari, said the design overcomes key challenges of starch-based materials.

"Starch is one of the most promising and versatile natural polymers, but it is relatively fragile and highly susceptible to moisture. By mimicking the 'lotus effect', we have delivered a highly effective starch-based biodegradable plastic," Adhikari said.

Ghasemlou is currently working with a bioplastic company, which is evaluating further development of these novel water repellant materials to start the commercial applications of the bioplastic.



Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
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Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)

In the days after wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area, a formerly stray dog named Jackie lucked into a new life. She was rescued from an overburdened shelter in Los Angeles County, where she faced possible euthanasia, and given a home far away in Juneau, Alaska.

But Jackie didn’t stay long.

The German shepherd-husky mix slipped her collar on the first day with her new family in mid-February and absconded to a pocket of forest. Since then, she has been living by her wits — eluding a trap that was set with food such as cheeseburgers or chicken by animal control workers and volunteers worried about her.

The forested area Jackie frequents is near a busy road. Further, black bears are starting to reemerge from hibernation, raising the potential the dog could have an unfortunate run-in. Volunteers have stopped putting out food and cat kibble to avoid attracting bears.

“Maybe this is what she wants, is to be free and feral like this,” said Thom Young-Bayer, a Juneau animal control officer. “It's not a safe way for her to live here.”

Young-Bayer and his wife, Skylar, have been searching in their free time, often at night, for the skittish canine, painstakingly trying to build trust with her. Jackie has been known to burrow into the soft moss on the forest floor for cover and to avoid looking directly into the Young-Bayers’ headlamps, making it hard to detect her eyes in the dark.

On videos Thom Young-Bayer has taken with his infrared camera, Jackie’s red heat signature resembles something out of the movie “Predator.”

On a recent day, Young-Bayer caught a fleeting glimpse of Jackie in the lush forest, her dark coat helping camouflage her movements among the stumps and roots. He surveyed the undergrowth and surroundings but came up empty — as did a nearby trap he had been monitoring for weeks.

When Young-Bayer returned to a trail where a fellow animal control officer had been waiting, he learned Jackie had trotted past on a frozen pond.

Lately Young-Bayer has been encountering Jackie on every visit. Young-Bayer says that's progress. Weeks ago, if Jackie saw someone, she would flee. He and his wife aren't trying to sneak up on the dog and want to help her feel safe, he said.

Juneau Animal Rescue, a local pet adoption agency that also handles animal control and protective services, has asked that people who see Jackie report their sightings. Given the dog's skittishness, officials want to limit those searching for her.

Little is known about Jackie's history. She was brought into a California shelter as a stray in early January, days before deadly wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area. She is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. Her intake forms listed her as quiet with a moderate anxiety and stress level.

Skylar Young-Bayer, who has volunteered with rescue groups in that region, helped arrange for Jackie and two other dogs at risk of being euthanized to be transferred to Juneau for adoption. Jackie was with a foster home before her adoption placing.

Other dogs have gained fame as fugitives, including Scrim, a 17-pound, mostly terrier mutt who was recaptured in New Orleans in February — in a cat trap — after months on the lam.

Mike Mazouch, animal control and protection director for Juneau Animal Rescue, noted Jackie didn't have much time to bond with her new family before bolting. Officers deemed trying to tranquilize her as too risky because they didn't know if they would be able to find her once she was sedated.

Mazouch accompanied Thom Young-Bayer to the forest last week to disassemble the trap when Jackie came within 50 feet (15 meters) of Mazouch on the frozen pond. Mazouch snapped a photo of her as she appeared between the skinny, tall trees. He called efforts to capture her a “battle of wills.”

“She is not willing to give up, and we're not willing to give up, either,” Mazouch said.