Recently, Prof. Fu Qiang’s team at Sichuan University published a paper titled Scalable production of critically thin polyethylene films via multistep stretching in Nature Chemical Engineering. This innovative work charts a new path for the film production industry.

Plastic films are widely used. For decades, researchers have strived to reduce their thickness. Cutting film thickness by 90% without sacrificing performance could significantly cut plastic use, yet balancing thinness with functionality remained a challenge.

Drawing inspiration from food processing, Prof. Fu’s team developed the Small - amplitude Multistep Intermittent Stretching (SAMIS) technique. This method can stretch polyethylene to around 12 nm while maintaining a square - meter scale. The stretched film, with a length - to - thickness ratio nearing 10 million, features self - supporting property and a high mechanical strength of 113.9 GPa/(g/cm³), far exceeding regular polyethylene films.

The team identified the conflict between stability and process ability during ultra - thin film processing. By precisely controlling molecular chain entanglement, they determined the processing window. The polyethylene films’ unique properties, such as high specific modulus and self - adhering interface, open up applications in areas like ultra - thin epidermal sensors and nuclear fusion ignition support.

Notably, the team used quasi - industrial - grade equipment, enabling large - scale production of 12 - nm films. This fills a two - order - of - magnitude gap compared to the thinnest commercial polyethylene films (3 - 5 μm).

To access the full paper, visit the Nature Chemical Engineering official website. This research provides both theoretical insights and practical methods for producing ultra - thin polymers, setting a new benchmark for high - performance plastic film processing.

SUMINO focus on extrusion film equipment manufacturing system. 

 We’ll keep you updated on the technology’s application progress.