Historically scientists have thought that clothes pegs and other plastics left out in the sun become brittle and fail due to a process called autoxidation. Exposure to light or heat generates free radicals, which are reactive species that attack the polymeric chains in the plastic causing them to rearrange and break. Crucially, each ‘broken’ polymer chain is then thought to attack the next polymer chain, leading to a cascading failure that results in visible damage to the plastic.

“Although plastics have been manufactured for a long time, in this study we have uncovered critical information about creating longer lasting plastics which is important if we want to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering landfill every year,” said Michelle Coote, Associate Professor at the Australian National University.

Associate Professor Coote noted that by eliminating the flaws in plastic, items like clothes pegs could be made to last much longer.

(Source: Supercomputers ensure plastics peg out later [Australian National University])