Description

Plastics are ubiquitous in daily life, however over 98% are made from non-renewable sources. More environmentally friendly solutions are increasingly needed to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

In the first step of a route to more sustainable materials, a plant-based sugar was chemically altered, yielding colorless crystals after purification. When exposed to polarized light, these crystals display a rainbow of colors due to the arrangement of certain atoms, showcasing nature's hidden kaleidoscope.