Research personnel develop new technology for pollen papermaking

2023-12-22

The R&D team at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore uses sunflower pollen to make paper. This type of pollen paper, like printing paper, can be used to print text, but the handwriting or pattern can be eliminated after soaking, and can be reused after drying. The research findings were published in Advanced Materials.

Pollen is widely present in nature and is an affordable and environmentally friendly choice. The process of making pollen paper is similar to that of making ordinary soap. The hard pollen particles are first made into micro gel, and then dehydrated and dried to make paper with a thickness of only 0.03 mm, which is not allergenic. This production process is simpler and consumes less energy than traditional paper-making methods. In addition to sunflower pollen, camellia and lotus pollen can also be used for papermaking.

According to research reports, colored patterns printed on pollen paper have good results, and the resolution and clarity of the patterns are similar to traditional printing paper. Soaking the printed pollen paper in alkaline liquid can completely eliminate ink on the paper surface without damaging the structure of the paper. This procedure can be repeated at least 8 times.

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