Overview

• The lab-made bamboo molecular plastic recorded about 110 MPa tensile strength and ~80 kJ m^-3 work of fracture, surpassing several common commercial plastics in tests.
• Test samples fully decomposed in soil in roughly 50 days, unlike typical bamboo fiber composites that cannot completely degrade.
• Closed-loop recycling trials retained about 90% of the material’s original strength, indicating potential for repeated reuse.
• The material showed mechanical and thermal stability along with shapability, and it can be produced as large sheets for forming into parts.
• The study, led by researchers at Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China, presents a laboratory demonstration with proposed uses in automotive and infrastructure rather than proven industrial deployment.