Researchers Create Ideal Alternative to Teflon for Healthier Cooking Solutions

The danger of PFAS

In recent times, non -stick stoves and pans are a lot of talk about them. For good reason, their non-stick coating is made from a type of plastic called fluoropolymer, which itself comes from PFAS. If the compositions of these stoves allow foods not to stay stubborn during cooking, they have proven to be potentially dangerous for our health.

Similar efficiency

Indeed, researchers from the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering of the University of Toronto published a study on July 23 in the journal Nature Communicationsto present their material with which they work and which is called PDMS. If the latter had already existing and often sold under the name of silicone, the results he obtained was not as good as those of the PFAS.

It was at this point that Samuel au, a doctoral student at the MIE and the main author of the study, developed a new technique which was called “fletching on a nanometric scale”. “Unlike classic silicone, we are linking short pdm channels to a basic material – you can consider them as hair on a brush”explains Samuel to. After testing the capacity of their new non -stick coating to repel oil, fat and water, the results obtained showed that it was as effective as teflon.

Of the PFAS remains all the same present

If these new works represent a less risky alternative for health, this new coating contains a molecule of PFAS, as explained by Professor Kevin Golovin (MIE), who heads the Dream (Sustainable Laboratory (Sustainable Repelleered Advanced Materials) of the University of Toronto in genius. “Although we have used a molecule of pfas in this process, it is as short as possible and therefore does not organize itself”

Here, the specialist refers to the length of the carbon chain (number of carbon atoms) which composes the molecules of PFAS. The longer the chain, the more healthy it will be for health and vice versa. As you can see, it is not yet possible to completely delete PFAS in kitchen utensils, but researchers do everything to get there.

Source: Scitechdaily