Vigilancia tecnológica

Abstract Plastic films with good robustness and electrical insulation are extensively applied in electrical equipment and electronic devices. However, the reliance on plastics for industrial production and the non-degradability of plastic waste have posed a threat to the environment and human health. Here, a green, sustainable, high-performance composite film has been synthesized to replace petroleum-based plastics by using resource-rich natural wood and mineral synthetic mica as raw materials. The wood scaffold with lamellar structure and oriented channels was obtained through wood nanotechnology, and then the mica sheets were fixed in it by impregnation with mica solution and subsequent mechanical pressing. The resulting Mica/wood films (MWF) exhibited excellent tensile properties (tensile strength of 124.57 MPa and modulus of 11.4 GPa) when the mica addition content was 7.09 wt%, which was better than most plastic films. Meanwhile, the breakdown voltage and thermal stability of MWF were improved with the addition of mica. Additionally, MWF exhibited much lower environmental impact than petrochemical plastic because it easily biodegraded in the soil. This work provided feasible strategy in fabricating environmentally friendly, high-performance bio-based insulating membranes for advanced electrical devices and electronics, demonstrating great potential for addressing resource scarcity and plastic pollution.