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- Described in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, the material is made by spraying multiple layers of chitin from crab shells and cellulose from trees to form a flexible film similar to plastic packaging film. Cellulose is the planet’s most common natural biopolymer, followed by chitin, which is found in shellfish, insects and fungi.
The team devised a method to create a film by suspending cellulose and chitin nanofibres in water and spraying them onto a surface in alternating layers. Once fully dried, the material is flexible, strong, transparent and compostable.
