Scientists have created a toxin-free nonstick coating that can replace Teflon, which contains “forever chemicals” that have been linked to numerous health conditions. The alternative, which is made with a flexible silicone polymer, is much safer and better for the planet.
According to New Atlas, University of Toronto engineers used polydimethylsiloxane as a non-PFAS alternative in cookware because of its biocompatibility, thermal stability, and flexibility. The material is commonly used in cleaning solutions, contact lenses, medical devices, and water-repellent coatings. It’s a great candidate to replace per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, but according to professor Kevin Golovin, it doesn’t “perform quite as well.”
Luckily, the team found a way to change that.
To boost the performance of PDMS, it used a technique called nanoscale fletching, which adjusts some of the molecules in PFAS to make them less harmful. Specifically, the engineers replaced the long PFAS chains with several fluorinated chemical groups, which consist of a carbon atom bonded to three fluorine atoms. According to the findings, which were published in the journal Nature Communications, “a single -CF3 group is the least toxic of any PFAS.”
Bonding the short-chain PFAS molecules to PDMS resulted in a more flexible repellent material with less fluorine content, which is part of what makes forever chemicals so persistent in the environment.
“While we did use a PFAS molecule in this process, it is the shortest possible one and therefore does not bioaccumulate,” Golovin said, per a news release. “What we’ve seen in the literature, and even in the regulations, is that it’s the longest-chain PFAS that are getting banned first, with the shorter ones considered much less harmful. Our hybrid material provides the same performance as what had been achieved with long-chain PFAS but with greatly reduced risk.”
PFAS are rightfully called forever chemicals because they do not break down easily and can persist in the environment for thousands of years, per the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. In the meantime, they bioaccumulate in soil, water, and living organisms — including humans — putting ecosystems and human health in jeopardy.
PFAS are used in everything from fast food wrappers to nonstick pans and have been linked to reproductive disorders, cancer, lower immunity, and much more, according to Johns Hopkins. Reducing or eliminating these chemicals will go a long way to improve health and clean up the planet, and removing them from cookware is a great place to start.
That’s the goal of the research team, but for now, it is hoping to pair up with manufacturers of nonstick coatings to help launch the new material on a commercial scale. The PDMS coating received a grade of 6 from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, which makes it competitive with traditional PFAS-based coatings.
“The holy grail of this field would be a substance that outperforms Teflon but with no PFAS at all,” Golovin said. “We’re not quite there yet, but this is an important step in the right direction.”
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