James Blinco

Free radicals are generally the 'baddies' of the chemical world, causing ageing and degradation of materials but a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher has found a way to put their properties to good use.

James Blinco, of Queensland's University of Technology's School of Physical Sciences, is a PhD researcher who has developed a probe that traps free radicals when they form and switches on fluorescence to create a marker of free radical damage.

"Basically, we have found a way to turn free radicals, which cause the breakdown of human tissues, plastic, or anything organic, on themselves - we are using them to give themselves away," Mr Blinco said.

His research focussed on detecting plastic fatigue which occurs when plastic begins to degrade from sun, heat or mechanical stress.

"Usually you don't know your plastic outdoor chair has been getting too much sun until it splits when you sit on it, and you don't want to find out that your seat belt has had it when it snaps under pressure," Mr Blinco said.

"Until now it has been impossible to determine the lifetimes of plastic components without destroying them.

"Now we can gauge the level of degradation without using destructive methods to test materials and get a quick measurement of strength left in them.

"With this new probe we can easily see, using a UV light, how far a material has degraded which will lead to better and more efficient maintenance.

"The most exciting part is that, for example, with an aircraft you could run a UV light over it and see one dying plastic component, such as a washer, and replace it before any damage was done."

Mr Blinco said the free radical probe could be used in any material with an organic basis such as rubber, nylon, polystyrene and paint coatings.

He said the probe could also be paired with stabilisers to prolong the life of the material.

Mr Blinco's research was conducted as a member of the ARC (Australian Research Council) Centre of Excellence for Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnolgy.