Experts have revealed a new type of paper that can be erased and rewritten on without the need for ink.

They say that even in early prototype form, it can be rewritten on 20 times without affecting the resolution.

It works by using ultraviolet light to photobleach a dye in the paper, except the portions that constitute the text on the paper.

The new rewritable paper can be erased and written on more than 20 times with no significant loss in contrast or resolution.

Chemists at the University of California, Riverside say their rewritable paper is based on the color switching property of commercial chemicals called redox dyes.

The dye forms the imaging layer of the paper.

“This rewritable paper does not require additional ink for printing, making it both economically and environmentally viable,” said Yadong Yin, a professor of chemistry, whose lab led the research, which was published today in Nature Communications.

“It represents an attractive alternative to regular paper in meeting the increasing global needs for sustainability and environmental conservation.”

His lab is currently working on a paper version of the rewritable paper.

His research team is exploring ways to extend the legibility of the printed texts or images for more than three days to expand their potential uses.

“One way is to develop new photocatalyst nanoparticles that become highly reductive when irradiated by ultraviolet light,” Yin said.

“‘We are exploring, too, the possibility of multi-color printing.

多次书写纸 打印不用墨

研究人员成功研制出一种可重复书写的新型纸张，且书写打印时无需油墨。

研究者称，即使是初期版本，这种纸也能反复擦写20次，而且可保有较高的清晰度。

再写纸的原理是：利用紫外光漂白某些染料，使之呈现出无色状态，而只有文字或图像可在纸上显示出来。

这种新的再写纸能反复擦写20次多，且不会影响对比度或清晰度。

加利福利亚大学河滨分校（University of California, Riverside）的化学家们表示，再写纸利用了氧化还原染料的颜色转换特性。

这种染料能形成纸的成像层。

殷亚东是加利福利亚大学的化学教授。

他带领团队进行再写纸的研究，其研究报告已发表于《自然通讯》（Nature Communications）杂志。

他说：“再写纸在打印时无需添墨，使其在经济和环保两个方面都切实可行。”

“再写纸可以作为普通纸张之外另一种富有吸引力的选择，它能够满足全球可持续发展和环境保护的需求。

他的团队目前正在改进纸质版的再写纸。

同时，他们还想方设法提高三天后纸张上的文字和图像的识别度，以扩大这种纸的潜在用途。

殷教授说：“其中一种方法是研制新的光催化剂纳米颗粒，让它在被紫外光照射时能高度还原。”

“同样，我们也在探索多色印刷的可能性。”

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【染料】

    rǎnliào

    dye

    【再写纸】

    zàixiězhǐ

    rewritable paper

    【绰绰有余】

    chuòchuò yǒuyǘ

    more than enough

    (one’s possessions) more than enough to meet (one’s) needs