If you've ever owned a vintage gaming console or come across an aging roll of packing tape,

you're probably familiar with the phenomenon of plastics turning yellow over time. While the
reason for this color change has been linked to the development of dye-like molecules, the actual
underlying chemical transformations have remained a mystery. However, a recent study
published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials has shed light on a potential culprit: chiral
nanostructures present on the surface of the plastics.

Understanding the mechanisms behind the degradation of polymers as they age is crucial for
devising strategies to create longer-lasting plastic products. This is particularly relevant for
widely used plastics like polyethylene. Traditionally, it has been suggested that ultraviolet (UV)
light, the same kind responsible for sunburns, triggers reactions within the polymer's molecular
structure, leading to the yellowing effect.

Yet, despite observations of chemical alterations in polyethylene's polymer structure following

UV exposure, these changes have failed to explain the yellowing phenomenon. A novel approach
to altering the color and optical properties of plastics involves generating nano-sized
"supramolecular" structures on their surfaces, which can be intentionally designed to influence
their characteristics.

Taking inspiration from these surface-based techniques, a team led by Margaret M. Elmer-
Dixon, Melissa A. Maurer-Jones, and their colleagues, set out to investigate whether
unintentional formation of such nanostructures due to UV light exposure could be responsible for
polyethylene yellowing.

The researchers began by examining whether the potential structures on the surfaces of yellowed
polyethylene films interacted with circularly polarized light—a type of light characterized by its
rotational direction, either right-handed or left-handed.

In their experiments, the absorption of circularly polarized light by the film varied based on the
film's orientation. This observation indicated that the yellowed plastic contained unique chemical
structures that exhibited chirality, meaning they possessed a distinct directional arrangement that
differed from their mirror images. Further tests revealed that the majority of degradation
responsible for film yellowing took place on the film's surface.

As a result, the team concluded that chiral chemical structures developed on the surfaces of
polyethylene films during exposure to UV light, offering a plausible explanation for the yellow
discoloration of aged plastics. The researchers suggest that these findings could guide the
development of plastic products with enhanced durability, delaying the onset of unsightly or
unusable characteristics.