News and Events
Smart, oxygen-sensitive plastics
Professor Mills and his group at Queen's University have developed smart plasctic films which change colour once they are UV-activated and become oxygen sensitive, returning to their original colour upon exposure to air.
Such indicators have significant potential with regard to oxygen-free packaging, especially food packaging.
The slow recovery of the colour can also be used to assess how long the package has been opened and so has potential as a 'consume-within' indicator, which could replace the more traditional 'sell- or use-by' dates.
The recent published paper may be viewed at: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/November/11111102.asp
