Silly String sprays and secrets in plastic foam

Silly String is a kind of fiber foam spray that we often use to . jubilant in parties or festivals. Halloween is coming and we will definitely see this spray, by the way, let's find out its origin, who invented, the components and applications of Silly String.

The mystery of plastic foam in Silly String

Silly String was created in 1972 by chemist Robert Cox and inventor Leonard Fish. The initial goal of both was to create a spray that could be sprayed on broken hands or legs. Instant rescue. Of course their invention worked, but when they started bottling, they tried 500 different types of nozzles and when they tried the 30th or 40th, Leonard Fish stopped at a nozzle. create beautiful plastic foams, shoot up to 9m away. This suggested that Fish turn his invention into a toy and after changing the recipe, reducing stickiness and adding color, both decided to promote their products. From here, Silly String was born.

Surfactant

The formula for creating plastic foams in Silly String remains a secret that has been kept secret for years. Silly String was originally produced and sold by Wham-O - a brand later acquired by the company specializing in deodorizing, aromatic car on Car-Freshner Corp.

Advertise Silly String aerosols produced by Wham-O.

The secret of plastic foams lies in a kind of solvent and surfactant, but neither Wham-O nor Car-Freshner Corp specify the specific names of these and many other ingredients.Surfactant is just another name for detergent, here is amphiphilic - a compound that carries both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The combination of both of these properties causes more molecules to be bound together in the solution, from which the sponged foams become stiff, forming a stream. In addition, the sticky properties of the mixture also make the foam stick to the surface and everything like our hair tips and clothes when playing.

Solvent

When shaking the spray bottle, the remaining ingredients will be mixed with an unknown solvent, forming a temporary mixture of plastic, minerals and propellant. Both water and solvents quickly evaporate when outside the compressor, leaving only the frozen foam.

1,1,1,2 - Tetrafluoroethane

The thing that brings the plastic foam mixture out of the spray bottle at high speed is Freon-12 - a propellant that is thought to damage the ozone layer and it is used in the first Silly String aerosol generation in 1972 Inside the sprayer, Freon-12 is compressed in liquid form and when the nozzle is pressed, the pressure drops, causing the liquid to boil and evaporate, expand and push the mixture out.

Polyacrylic Resin

Plastic foam fibers are structured from a durable polymerized plastic. The mixture is put into a spray bottle in the form of a powder and it produces an adhesive solution. However, once the plastic is pushed out of the air, it forms a rigid frame. This plastic can stay in one place for weeks.

Talc - melted stone

Without this mineral, the foam sprayed only full of soft plastic. Melts are composed mainly of magnesium, silicon and oxygen. The absorbent properties of the molten rock shape the plastic, filling the plastic foam fiber when it is ejected and extended from the nozzle.

Isopropyl Alcohol and Ammonia

These two components help keep the solution stable so that it can last for many years. Isopropyl alcohol prevents mold from growing inside the spray bottle and ammonia increases the pH enough to make the metal tank not corroded.

Safe to use?

The compounds in Silly String are quite safe but volatile fluorocarbon solvents can cause cold burns theoretically. The mixture also irritates the skin but is very light. Silly String is advertised as a non-toxic spray and does not burn but many Internet videos have proven that it can still cause fire. The most controversial effect of Silly String is its ability to puncture the ozone layer because it contains Freon-12.

Silly String application

In addition to being used for parties and festivals as a toy, Silly String is also used by the US and British troops to detect wire-snare traps. They will spray Silly String onto the suspect area and if the foam falls to the ground without being trapped, the area is considered safe. Conversely, if the foam is entangled in the wire, they can tell where the explosion is located and still safe because the foam is not heavy enough to activate the detonator.