When you think of how to produce electrical components, water might not top your list of raw materials. Yet, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have usedvolcanic spring water to help develop the plastic that's a crucial ingredient of many modern technologies, according to a recent study published in Water Chemistry and Technology.

Significantly, the research may improve the sustainability of manufacturing numerous consumer and industrial goods.r?

In many modern technologies, plastics—polyaniline (PANI)—hold electronic components together.

PANI is used on millions of square meters annually for this and other applications. Therefore, producing it with an environmentally friendly solvent has clear advantages.

There are numerous solvents available today that can be used to create PANI. Still, most are toxic and incompatible with standard mass-production device fabrication procedures, such as inkjet printing.

"We recently reported the use of ethanol, with a small quantity of iodine additive, for preparing polyaniline," said Professor Hiromasa Goto, senior author, in a press release

"Nevertheless, water is the ultimate environmentally friendly solvent, and thus would be an even better option."

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